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Implicit Shopping Understanding shopper

behaviour to help predict

Health food choice

William Reeve Senior Research Director, PRS IN VIVO

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People use two types of thinking to navigate their busy lives…

• Autonomic • Subconscious • Lightning fast • Leverages emotion • Generates strong

feelings of certainty

• Rational • Conscious • Requires effort • Works slowly • Examines • Calculates & weighs

evidence

SYSTEM 1 ‘Thinking fast’

SYSTEM 2 ‘Thinking Slow’

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In-store purchase decisions are overwhelmingly behavioural (“thinking fast”), rather than rational (“thinking slow”)

Decisions are greatly influenced by competitive context

Purchase decisions are driven primarily by what consumers see, recognise, and how products make them feel

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6ft

1ft

See It

Buy It

Visibility & Recognition

3ft

Shop It Shop-Ability & Registration/ Immediate Understanding

Emotion, Communication & Persuasion

Packaging must perform well in Real Life shopping…

…and it doesn’t have much time to be effective

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The shopper’s default is to follow a “Grab and Go” mentality…

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Packaging needs to disrupt shopper behaviour

The fundamental first moment of truth….Unseen is Unsold

Most new products get lost on shelf!

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The shopping experience becomes largely about “De-selection”

More “System 1” than “System 2”

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The instant recognition of colours, shapes, textures is at the root of shoppability and the success of packs…as they become visual assets

Shoppers use visual cues to navigate complex aisles, recognise brands and “de-select”

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Packaging designs need to work viscerally

“Less is more” in terms of on-pack messaging, as shoppers typically engage with only 3-4 elements whilst in front of the shelf

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What does this mean for

Healthy packaging?

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Consumer understanding of “healthy” products is wide reaching…

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…and shoppers are bombarded with signage and endorsements, which are easily lost

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At a glance we must promote health credentials…without compromising visibility and shopability

On-shelf performance

(visibility/shop-ability)

Visceral/emotional connection, POD/benefit communication & value &

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Mid’s Homemade Pasta Sauce encouraging Visibility & Shop-ability at shelf via category breaking colour

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Engaging visuals & structures can say a thousand words… to provide emotional benefit and help close sale

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Visual Cues & Messages for “Real Food”

Food packaging has a significant impact on shoppers’ perceptions of product quality and brand trust

Trust in food companies in demonstrating health is increasingly linked to authenticity and perception of “real food”

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What does “Real Food” look like?

Earth Tones, Matte Finishes & “Nature” Visuals

Transparency (Seeing/Highlighting the Product)

Simplicity of Design

Non-Traditional Pack Structures/Delivery Systems

Highlighting Ingredients, Place of Origin or Process

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Colour, Imagery & Tactile Feel “Earth tones” and nature visuals are implicitly associated with “real” products

However, with the proliferation of ‘real’ food categories there is also risk of overuse, and thus, scepticism

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Transparency Transparency is a powerful visual cue, as showing the product suggests honesty and openness and promotes trust (i.e. nothing to hide)

But ensure that the product “delight” is not hindered by the execution of transparency…otherwise perceptions of appetite and quality can suffer

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Simplicity of design Simplicity of pack presentation implies simplicity of product (i.e. few ingredients), which links closely to “real”

However, care should be taken to ensure the right colour balance, as very simple packs can also be perceived as dull, basic and generic

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Alternative Pack Structures A unique pack structure or delivery system can be powerful in distancing a product from negative category associations

For example, “processed” cereal typically comes in a box, “processed” soup comes in a can, “processed” icing mix comes in a jar

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Highlighting Ingredients & Source of Origin Ingredients have long been a vehicle to convey “real” – and more recently, there has been a trend to citing provenance/place of origin as a signal of authenticity

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Can well-established brands be credible in delivering natural and “real” products?

Branding is a challenging issue, as placing the “mother brand” on natural products can drive a positive halo – but also potentially invite scepticism

For this reason, many companies have chosen to avoid placing any direct reference on the packaging of their “natural foods” brands

Alternatively, the masterbrand is used simply as an ‘endorser’ to a dominant sub-range name that acts as the consumer entry point

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Don’t rely on the back panel - be innovative in ensuring intrusive health/nutritional information lives on packaging

How can on-pack claims best support a natural and “real” positioning?

Rational health claims can engage the shopper

Placement and/ or prominence on pack can establish

claim priority

Don’t rely on the back panel - be innovative in ensuring

important health/nutritional information lives on packaging

More clutter = less engagement with nutritional messaging

58%

31%

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The Eyes have it…

Unseen is Unsold

Believing is seeing

William Reeve Senior Research Director

London

T: +44 207 842 4934 William.Reeve@prs-invivo.com