The hereinafter chapter represents the first chapter of this research paper and it depicts the impact of packaging on consumer behaviour, from a theoretical point of view. First of all, the chapter starts with an introduction to consumer behaviour as a science, then it proceeds to present the models of consumer behaviour, moving to the illustration of the physical determinants of consumer behaviour and decision making process and finally, a brief depiction of the roles and impact of packaging in the buying process.
The consumer behaviour area was regarded as part of modern marketing in the 1960s and it is considered to be one of the most important and studied disciplines of behavioural sciences. The term behavioural science includes a number of disciplines that are relevant to consumer behaviour.
Behavioural sciences can be classified into two main categories:
On one hand, the first category, information processing sciences represent the data gathering, processing and analysis of stimuli by cognitive entities. This information is received from the social environment and it leads to influencing the decision-making process, social judgement and social perception (Peter, 2010). Some subjects included in this category are psychology, psychobiology, social neuroscience and cognitive science.
On the other hand, the second category, relational sciences represent the domains dealing with associations, relationships, interactions and relational strategies or dynamics in a social environment, including fields such as sociology, social psychology (Deepak et al., 2002).
Consumers’ research is interdisciplinary, including subjects such as psychology, economy and sociology. Areas of psychology such as motivation, perception, emotions, thinking, memory and personality contribute to the basis of the theory of consumer behaviour. Concepts of sociology such as group, power, status, shift, the theory of consumer behaviour as social and cultural influences are included. Knowledge from the natural sciences has also been incorporated into consumer research. Human behaviour is also biological: instincts, reflexes, gestures. (Trommsdorff & Teichert, 2011)
Figure 1: Decision making analysis
Source: (Chand, 2016)
The importance of consumer behaviour as an area of marketing is recognised in the context of the four marketing instruments (Campbell, 2004).Thus, businesses are trying to influence the consumer’s decision though the aspects they can control, such as:
Moreover, the basic types of purchase decisions are differentiated according to the number of persons involved in the decision, whether a person is a decision-maker or whether there are several persons in charge, and for whom the decision is made, a consumer or an organisation. A combination of these leads to a matrix in which four basic types of purchase decisions can be mapped.
In this regard, the purchasing decisions are generally divided into two broad categories: consumer and organisational purchasing decisions.
Table 1: The purchase decision matrix
| Individual | Collective | |
| Consumer | Individual purchase decision in private households | Collective purchase decision in private households |
| Organization | Individual purchase decision in organizations | Collective purchase decisions in organizations |
Source: (Chand, 2016)
This figure briefly shows the basic types of purchase decisions, which show that there are individual purchase decisions in the household – which is the classic case of consumers; Individual purchase decisions in an organization – people who decide in an organization what and when is bought for the organization; Collective purchase decisions in private households – several members of the family decide when buying; And collective purchasing decisions when important organizational decisions are taken in a centralized way, collectively.
There are certain differences between consumer and organisational purchasing decisions. The most important feature, which shows a clear difference between the two buying behaviours is represented by the influence of the emotions in the case of consumer buyer behaviour and of the rational decisions in the case of organisational buyer behaviour (Jobber & Lancaster, 2009).
The SOR model is defined according to Otto Buxbaum in “Key Insights into Basic Mechanisms of Mental Activity” as the following concept: When a certain S – stimulus (e.g. an attractively presented product) meets an O – organism, the R – reaction (e.g. the purchase of this product) is observed. (Bauxbaum, 2016) The S-O-R model is a practical model, that questions what is and what happens in between S and R.
Source: (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974)
As indicated by this model, physical stimuli (e.g., colour, music, scent, and lighting) impact human feelings, such as joy or excitement (Mummalaneni, 2005).
Physical stimuli impact the tactile factors of the ordinary surroundings, for example, colour, scent, music and texture, what’s more on the surface (Ha, 2006). The S-O-R model demonstrates that affecting states influenced by the environment impact a person’s response behaviour (Ha & Lennon, 2010).
As variables, the affecting states generate different buyer response behaviour (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974) (Mummalaneni, 2005). Researchers have found that affecting states (i.e., joy and excitement) experienced while shopping in retail locations impacts consumer satisfaction (Machleit & Eroglu, 2000) and purchase decision (Baker et al., 1992).
There are two categories of stimuli in the SOR model, the marketing stimuli and the other stimuli also known as environmental stimuli. Thus the marketing mix is distinguished from the so-called societal stimuli, but both categories are directly observable and are factors influencing the purchase decision. In the centre stands the organism with its activating and cognitive processes, with non-observable variables such involvement, reference groups and culture (Bauxbaum, 2016).
With the help of stimuli to the organism, an output result and thus, a reaction which is directly observable. The response appears in the brand selection, preferences or purchase amount, in the behaviour of the buyer. This model thus links the observable stimuli and the non-observable stimuli, to observe the consumer’s purchase behaviour.
The physical purchasing processes are divided into two categories: activating subsystem and cognitive subsystem (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Each purchase process contains certainly defined phases from pre-purchase to the purchase of a product or service. The figure below reflects these steps of the purchase process.
Figure 3: The 5 steps consumer’s purchasing process
Source: (Kotler & Keller, 2006)
According to the three-component model of Rosenberg / Hovland (1960), there are three ways an object can be evaluated: affective, cognitive, and conative. i.e. An affective evaluation occurs when the person emotionally evaluates the object, a cognitive one represents what the person knows about the object, and conative is the way the person behaves towards the object.
For a better explanation of this component, the following example is provided:
The activating processes are those processes which are associated with internal excitations and tensions (i.e., unspecific excitatory processes) and also with specific excitatory processes of the organism (driving forces associated with thirst or love) and thus have an influence on the human behaviour. On the contrary, the cognitive processes, are the processes by which the individual records, processes and saves information.
Activating processes include determinants such as tension, excitement, emotions, motivation, attitudes. Cognitive processes include the following determinants: perception, learning.
Through the internal excitement processes, with the help of the cognitive awareness and control processes, the human impulses arise like emotions, motivation, attitudes.
So that we can easily explain the determinants of the activating processes, we take the following example: a person who likes to train in the gym and maintain a sporty and healthy life.
Emotional: The person will feel comfortable when he is exercising in the gym. This requires training clothes and athletic shoes. Whenever the person passes a business with sporting articles, she will feel an inner stimulus because she remembers the workout. The person will experience emotions like joy and well-being.
Motivational: There is a motivation to have sporting articles and sporting accessories so that you can fulfil the desired experience. This motivation expresses an activity or goal orientation.
Settings: The person will positively appreciate such sports items because it is motivated and will buy these goods.
Emotions
From everyday experience, we know how important a product is to us, which is our loyalty to it and how we have certain predilections for certain goods as we like certain colours, taste and favourite music. Emotions can have a strong influence on the purchase decision since you can often associate a product with a feeling and because the emotions are permanent. We connect products with certain emotions and for this reason, a connection arises (Couste et al., 2013).
In commerce in general, but especially in the field of consumer products, there is an established relationship between the emotional impact of a company and its message and the demand for the product. Obviously, there are basic functional criteria that clearly influence the decision making when it comes to buying a product, but there is, however, a great similarity to the basic functions of some competing products (e.g. Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Canon and Nikon) and these acquisitions are strongly influenced by personal and subjective impulses.
The companies try to create an emotional customer relationship, to arouse certain feelings, to attract consumers through their emotional side. In the advertising messages, one can clearly see how the companies are trying to communicate not only a message but an experience. This is done with the help of certain music, colours, images that awaken certain feelings, etc.
Figure 4: Examples of slogans in marketing with explicit naming of an emotion
Source: (The Coca-Cola Company, n.d.) (McDonald’s, n.d.)
Craig Elbert (TechCrunch, 2014) describes the following contexts of the emotion with the user behaviour:
In his psycho-evolutionary theory of emotions, Robert Plutchiks, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida, developed a “wheel of emotions” diagram (Figure 5) showing the relationship with the emotions.
Figure 5: Plutchiks’ Wheel of Feelings
Source: (Plutchik, n.d.)
His theory wants to explain that the purchase decision is not just based on the quality of the products, but on the feelings, they feel when they take the product into account, feelings like loyalty or envy. (Mattison, 2014)
Motivation
We try to understand why people prefer certain brands or products, why they are irrational, why they are looking for a specific lifestyle, others vehemently reject the fact that they can be influenced by media and advertising campaigns, even if they do not admit it, they do not only place emphasis on the selection and quality of goods while shopping, but also on distinctive shopping experiences. In short: we try to understand why people are as they are. “Motivation is a theoretical construct with which the drives, i.e. the causes of the behaviour, are to be explained. Thus, motivation psychology deals with the goal-oriented behaviour, i.e. with the question of how goals arise and whether they consciously or unconsciously direct our behaviour. ” (Ball, 2012)
“The question of “why” puts the motivational factors of commerce in the foreground.”
In consumer behaviour research, one wants to know exactly what is “driving” the consumer. Motivational research deals with questions such as the motivation of consumers to make certain buying decisions, why certain advertising messages are preferred, and others are not.
On the basis of different consumer motifs, consumer typologies can also be formed (for example snapshots, Variety Seekers), so that specific marketing measures can be derived from the individual segments. Motivation is closely linked to the terms emotion and attitude. A lack of food leads to hunger: there is a “biological need” that mobilises the driving forces to its satisfaction. Hunger is a drive like thirst and sexuality. ” (Chand, 2016)
Impulses can be understood as physiological deficiency states that “energise a behaviour to eliminate this deficiency” (Langens & Schmalt, 2009). This is biologically pre-programmed. One speaks also of primary motives.
The motivation arises from the interaction between the affective-cognitive processes and the cognitive processes which lead to goal determinations and action programs. A simple example: through the interaction of hunger with cognitive processes of goal orientation: where can I satisfy my hunger? The motivation is to go to a restaurant. Which restaurant is then selected depends, in turn, on the attitudes to different restaurants or situations (spatial proximity, time pressure, etc.)
“The motivation is, therefore, a complex, goal-oriented drive process consisting of basic drive forces and cognitive target orientation.” (Langens & Schmalt, 2009)
Purchasing motifs are defined as fundamental, goal-oriented internal forces, which can be satisfied by purchasing activities (Gröppel-Klein, 2005)
The typologies vary, however, quite differently: while some writers split the “hedonist” and “usability-oriented” shopping motifs, Westbrook and Black (1985) or (Gröppel-Klein, 2005) (Desire for interpersonal contact), communication (desire for interpersonal contacts), negotiation orientation (careful selection, desire the very best for the family and/or for themselves) and practicality. The results of previous empirical studies (Groppel-Klein, Thelen and Antretter, 1998, Morschett, 2002, Schramm-Klein, 2008, Sanguanpiyapan and Jasper, 2010) show the importance of purchasing strategies for the choice of a shopping center -of-sale: shopping malls can influence the emotions experienced at the point of sale as well as the duration of the stay, the willingness to explore and the interest in buying. The purchasing motifs are also decisive if the subjectively perceived degree of suitability of purchasing estates is to be assessed. Here one can see that different marketing concept of the trade satisfy different shopping patterns.
Due to the demographic change, the desire for personal interaction is becoming increasingly important. The question now arises of why consumers prefer to buy on the Internet in comparison to shopping in the stationary trade.
Settings
We define an attitude as a state of a learned and relatively long-term willingness to react more or less strongly positively or negatively in a corresponding situation towards the subject in question.
Volker Trommsdorff goes on to explain: “On the boundary in contrast to feelings, attitudes are relatively stable and linked with knowledge. Motifs flow into settings, but they are not bound to an object like settings. Beliefs are the mental (cognitive) fundamentals of attitudes. ”
There are two types of settings: global and differentiated settings. For this purpose, the two terms can be explained as follows: namely, the global settings are based on the classical price/quality ratio, that is high price class with good settings. The differentiated attitudes represent the cognitive and motivational structure behind a setting. Corresponding information is provided, e.g. For the discovery of market niches, for content advertising planning or market segmentation.
The cognitive processes can be characterised as mental processes. The individual is given the knowledge of his environment and himself. These processes belong to the rational side of the consumers, they control the behaviour and control it. The cognitive processes are in the price analysis of a good or in the interpretation of the ratio price-quality. According to Trommsdorff and Teichert, cognitions are therefore defined as “knowledge units, As a subjective knowledge that is available whenever necessary, whether internally as stored information available through remembering (retrieval), or as external information available through perception (recording).”
Division of cognitive processes into categories:
The information reception “includes all processes until the transfer of stimuli or information into the central processor, where the actual cognitive processing takes place, that is, only those stimuli which are transferred from the sensory memory into the short-term memory are considered” (Ha & Lennon, 2010).
The information can thus be obtained from several sources, internal (habit, own experience, impulses) and external (environment of the consumers, media, recommendations from different persons) sources which are unintentional or which are not accidental. An active search of information or passive search.
Information processing is a cognitive process and is associated with processes such as perception, thinking, and decision making.
“Perception includes the process of recording and selecting information as well as its organisation (structure and structuring) and interpretation by the individual.” (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974)
“In order for a stimulus to be perceived in the midst of stimulus overload, it must exceed a specific intensity threshold.”
Another process in information processing is deciding. According to Swoboda, this research is defined as “Deciding means, limited to the field of (product) assessment, the classification and evaluation of recorded product information, resulting in a quality judgment.”
Information storage includes processes such as thinking, knowledge, learning and memory, which are closely related.
“Thinking is to be described as a process of judgment, order, abstraction and development of (current) perceptions, but also as a memory, restructuring and further development of memory contents. Accordingly, thinking is the linking of knowledge to general or subjective rules for new knowledge. This new knowledge, derived from the process of thought, can be a condensed information, a judgment, or a reaction. ”
The term knowledge is defined by the following diagram:
“According to Hofstadter, learning is defined as a change in the probability of the occurrence of a particular behaviour in a particular stimulus situation. It thus relates to concrete behavioural changes, but frequently to cognitive changes, e.g. Changes in knowledge or system of attitudes. On this basis, motor and cognitive changes can be distinguished, which mutually influence each other. ”
In addition, the most important classical models of consumer behaviour are presented, as follows:
Marshall’s model: is based on the fact that the consumer buys rationally and consciously, and buyers buy the products that give them the greatest satisfaction and saturation. This model explains that the price is the most important factor in the purchase decision.
Pavlov’s model: has as the basis the learning theory and contains four important elements: impulse, proposal, reaction and future purchase decision. The model shows that man can be conditioned by repetition and amplification that he can react to a certain behaviour. This model does not include elements such as perception, subconsciousness or influence between people.
Freud’s model: The consumer behaviour is explained in this model by some biological and cultural elements. Elements such as attitude and view are considered here.
Veblenian’s model: The model deals with the explanation that the consumer takes into account the influence of society, whereby culture, social classes, community are important influencing factors in the purchase decision.
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, there is a large number of factors influencing consumer behaviour. Sustaining this idea, Philip Kotler and Gary M. Armstrong, in their book “Principles of Marketing”, categorised the factors in 4 main groups:
Even though the economic circumstances were considered to be a sub-category of personal factors, newer models consider them as a separated fifth class of factors, as represented in Figure 6. The economic factors include: personal income, family income, expectations regarding future income, liquid assed and consumer credit, level of standard of living.
Figure 6: Factors influencing consumer behaviour
Source: (Ramya & Dr. Mohamed Ali, 2016)
Starting from the question “What is packaging?”, there is a variety of definitions available, presenting different approaches, from very simple and functional to a more holistic interpretation.
Packaging can be characterised as an extrinsic component of the product (Olson & Jacoby, 1972) – an attribute that is identified with the product, but however, does not make part of the physical product itself. Highlighting this idea, it was stated by Williams Arens that: “Packaging is the container for a product – encompassing the physical appearance of the Container and including the design, colour, shape, labelling and materials used” (Arens, 1996).
From a managerial point of view, packaging can be of a minor importance for some products, like for meat products, or of a major one, for products such as beer, chocolate, yoghurt, etc. Many economists consider packaging as an important element of a company’s management policy because, besides its intrinsic qualities, the protection of the good, packaging also implies a number of other particularly important qualities such as the promotion of the product.
Packaging sends a very strong promotional message, especially for branded products. An example that no longer requires any comments is that of the famous Coca-Cola bottles. But before such a packaging to make important contributions to selling the product, there is a tremendous work that involves well-known management, the courage to take the risk and, last but not least, a lot of imagination.
At the first sight, for a buyer, the packaging may not represent much because it is to be removed anyway after using the product. But, in practice, things are very different, or even on the contrary in some cases. Often, the packaging chosen provides information about the product contained, it gives the comfort and convenience of using the product, it gives us a guarantee of quality (for example, water bottled in glass is generally considered to be better than the one bottled in plastic), etc.
Behind the production of a viable packaging, there are many elements of aesthetics and design that are particularly important. The introduction of self-service has led to a change in how consumers make purchasing decisions. Products, with their attractive packaging, have become true sales representatives, the direct contact between vendors and exported merchandise being eliminated. Retail has matured as supermarkets, and their client today is the individual with the most studied commercial behaviour (The World Trade Organization (WTO), 2011).
Packaging is a key component of the marketing mix that can attract and persuade consumers to buy a brand, a product. It is considered that a picture makes for a thousand words and in the case of packaging, this saying is applied. A well chosen and packaged product protects the merchandise during transport or storage and minimises the risk of a damage occurring. Also, the image of the packaging, the design and the material contribute to the buying decision.
The roles and importance of packaging:
The packaging shows the brand’s personality, positioning, values and advantages. Not all buyers are the same, so different types of packaging are needed to reach different buyer typologies.
Some recognise a consumer package as the one directed towards a consumer or a household. Packaging might be analyzed in connection to the kind of product being packed: mass chemical packaging, over-the-counter medication packaging, retail food packaging, military material packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, and so on.
In order to fulfil one of its most important roles, the marketing role, the packaging has to meet a number of conditions, such as:
Classification by the main types of packaging:
Characteristic of paper and cardboard materials which made them recommend for packaging:
– small weight;
– odourless, insipid;
– parchment paper has low permeability;
– covered or plastic paper and cardboard are resistant to oils, gases, alcohol, ethers, esters, acids, weak bases.
Paper-cardboard packages are made from the following types of base materials:
– flat cardboard;
– duplex – at least 2 layers of fibrous material, joined by wet pressing;
– triplex – at least 3 layers of fibrous material, joined by pressing in a wet condition;
– corrugated cardboard – obtained from 1-4 smooth layers and 1-3 corrugated layers, joined together by adhesive, is used for packaging of products requiring protection against mechanical shocks (glass, ceramics, furniture).
Plastic is widely used for packaging, due to the following properties:
– reduced specific mass;
– resistance to moisture;
– resistance to action of acids and alkalis;
– good mechanical resistance;
– it is easy to process and to obtain packages of different shapes and sizes;
– hygienic-sanitary properties
The most common types plastic packaging are:
– bags, bags, flexible packaging made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
– glasses, trays, plates – obtained from rigid forms, which have the capability of hot forming;
– complex packaging
The metal is used in the chemical industry. Metal cases offer the advantage of rigidity, avoiding the risk of breakage during transport.
Bottles, bottles, jars, bottles, etc; Have an important weight in the total packing due to glass proprieties:
– Provides good protection (barrier to gases, vapours, liquids);
– it is transparent (allows visualization of the product, thus being a promotional factor for the sale);
– shows stability to alkali, acids (the only acid attacking it is hydrofluoric acid);
– it does not smell;
– can be coloured by protecting the product against ultraviolet radiation;
– can be processed in various forms;
– is recyclable and economical.
Packaging in glass also has disadvantages:
– fragility (weak resistance to mechanical shocks);
– relatively heavy weight, which makes it difficult to handle and raises transport costs;
Wood is especially used in the manufacture of transport packaging due to mechanical stress and wear to which it is exposed.
Textile bags have advantages such as: tear resistance, air and water permeability. On the other hand, they also present some disadvantages such as their low resistance to fire. Also, they have a small share in the packaging of goods.
They have appeared on the packaging market in the last 60 years. Generally, it was considered that just one type of material does not always meet all the requirements of one product or another. That is why we used the technique of covering a material (paper, cardboard, plastic, metal) with two or three layers of other materials, so the complex obtained to sum up the components of the components.
The aesthetic characteristics of the packaging are of great importance, acting on the buyer’s psychology, thus determining its attraction to the product. Product packaging is also an important factor in assortment diversification, contributes to qualitative product appreciation and sales stimulation.
A packaging’s form must take into account the environment, an assortment variety demand, the way of using dosing and proportioning the product, the product characteristics, the storage conditions pre and post purchase. Also, it helps the market through a product diversification by eliminating the uniformity and monotony of the assortment. Packaging must be characterized by its solidity, low weight, durability, functionality.
The graphics must be simple, expressive, clear, and the illustration has to be compatible with the packaged product. Also, it is essential that its colouring and style offer value to the product and to brand name and that it allows a fast, correct, easy reading without creating confusion.
Graphics, along with other elements of aesthetics, add to the individuality of consumer goods in relation to their destination. They represent an important contribution to increasing the sales of goods, stimulating competition in optimal conditions, increasing the merceological characteristics of the goods (Couste et al., 2013).
The ways and patterns of packaging graphics (letter character, size, colour significance, etc.) contribute directly to a shortening of the time of identification and choosing to make a shopping decision.
The colour is one of the most important elements of packaging because it acts on the buyer’s psychology. At a first contact with a product, when it’s the first time the product is viewed, the buyer first notices the colour, the brand, the shape and finally the design.
The colour, chose in close connection with the shape and the graphics, has the following objectives:
• boost sales;
• the aesthetic content and ambiance of commercial spaces;
• product personality;
• promoting elements with national, regional specificity;
• psychologically creating a commercial climate;
• the direct contribution to creating a tradition of products, enterprises, etc.
The shape, the colour and the graphics of the packaging – the elements of synthesis within the product aesthetics – made in optimal conditions, have effective contributions, with major efficiency, within the competitive relations of internal and external trade, accelerating penetration etc (Deliya & Parmar, 2012).
The development of the production and the diversification of the products in the conditions of the continuous modernization of the production, the expansion of the internal market and of the economic exchanges with other countries, such as the promotion of fast and efficient forms of trade serve as an objective necessity of improving the packing and pre-packaging activity of the products.
In order to fully take advantage of a packaging’s full potential, the brands use different marketing strategies such as: design labels by shape and colour to create the illusion that the products inside can be seen. These are glued to the top of the box, thus enhancing the presentation and display possibilities of the products. The realization, which uses the collage from, the colour and graphic point of view, emphasizes in particular the advertising of the presented product (Ha, 2006). For the special products, it is also worth mentioning the use of cardboard packages, plastics that give the products a stylish elegance and aesthetics.
It is remarkable that the shape of the packaging seems to vary, and due to the colour and shape of the labels, there have been provided creative ways on how to cover the lid and the neck of a bottle.
Collective transport and storage packaging, made from cardboard with highly expressive and tasteful advertising elements, keeps the product in good condition and replaces crates and other packaging used for this purpose. Most boxes have a proper wearing system and opening holes, which lead to long-term use of the product.
Given that the quality-price ratio is equal to more products, those that differentiate themselves through the creativity of packaging stand out from competing ones, being preferred and purchased by consumers.
Packaging material and design are important elements in the sales process, but the colour combines all of its elements and is one of the most important means to make the packaging an effective communication tool. Colour sells a product, it is above all a sensation and creates an emotional state that communicates well, exceeding the size of the package, the product itself, its shape or purpose.
Packaging must be treated with as much care and attention as any other form of brand communication. It should be tested both before design finishing and in terms of market performance to check how it works (Burnett, 2008).
The hereinafter chapter has the role of presenting the methodology used in order to collect the necessary data for the research and to describe the aspects what led to the conclusions outlined in the final chapter. It was used a mixed methods approach. In order to observe the qualitative insights, there were conducted a number of interviews, regarding consumers’ experience regarding bottled water packaging, and it was combined with the quantitative thoroughness of surveys, which aimed to investigate the factors influencing consumers’ buying decision, and as well to identify the effect of each attribute of bottled water packaging on the purchase decision.
Firstly, there are presented the methods for measuring consumer behaviour, then moving to defining the research methodology, stating the research’s objectives and approach. Furthermore, it is depicted the execution of the strategy and finally, there are listed the limitations to this work.
As a rule, there are several methods and procedures for measuring consumer behaviour. The information is collected by various ways, e.g. By interviews, by experiments, by observations, or through panel methods, and are then measured or evaluated by various procedures.
The following procedures can be mentioned here:
Figure 7: Primary data collection methods
Source: (Kotler & Keller, 2006)
All these procedures are statistical methods for evaluating the collected information.
Survey Method
The survey is one of the most famous and best-developed forms of marketing research. The actual purpose of this method is to let the persons to be given specific and predetermined facts. The interrogation method is used to collect the observable as well as the unobservable behaviour.
There are several forms of interrogation according to several criteria, i.e.:
The written questionnaire deals with the sending of the questionnaire to the participants and they must return the questionnaire. This category also includes online questionnaires that are used more and more. These online questionnaires are more efficient, from both sides of the respondents and the researchers; For the researcher, there is the possibility to send these questionnaires comfortably to a large number of people and the participants can easily fill out the questionnaire online and return it electronically. One speaks thus about cost and time advantages. The oral interviews provide the information with the help of interviews, the telephone surveys taking place by means of a telephone conversation. Mainly closed questions or open questions, direct or indirect questions are used, and there may be several types of responses. Reviews of 1-5 scale.
Experiment Method
“Under an experiment, a repeatable experimental set-up is carried out under controlled, previously established environmental conditions, which allows empirical evaluation of hypotheses based on the measurement of effects of one or more independent factors on the respective variable (s) check.”
Also for this market research method, there are several kinds namely field experiment or laboratory experiment. The distinction between these two forms is that the laboratory experiment takes place in a specially created, artificial and influential situation and that the field experiment takes place in a natural environment.
However, there are some disadvantages of this method that have to do with the long-term impact. The method is actually short-term, one can measure the long-term effects difficult and there are numerous influencing factors also by the construction of an experiment when we talk about a laboratory experiment.
Observation Method
In the speciality literature, the observation is defined as follows: “Observation is understood as the systematic recording of sensible perceptions at the time of their occurrence carried out by persons or technical aids. Or, in the field of the observation of persons, all objective circumstances such as, for example, physical activities, behaviour and certain socio-demographic characteristics. ”
There are various forms of observations as follows:
Panel Method
A panel is a special form of information production. Panel surveys are understood to be investigations which are carried out repeatedly (at regular intervals) on the same subject in the case of a given group of investigation units (persons, shopping centres, companies). In a few words, the panel is seen as continuous surveys in order to be able to investigate various behavioural changes in the course of time. (Kotler & Armstrong, 2008)
Basically, according to the nature of the test units, I distinguish between the consumption panel, the company panel and the commercial panel:
With the aid of the multivariate statistical evaluation methods, a better evaluation can be recorded since there is a tendency for the growing number of individual information. The following methods are defined for:
Factor analysis “examines variable quantities for which there are indications that they are dependent on common variables (so-called super-variables) which are not directly detectable. The main factor of the factor analysis is, therefore, the identification of these factors (super values) from a variable observed by Menger ”
Cluster analysis “aims to bring a number of objects (persons, products, companies) according to their similarity into a natural order of distinguishing groups or classes called clusters. (…) Market segmentation is a typical application of cluster analysis in marketing research. ”
Conjoint Analysis “Conjoint analysis is an empirical method that evaluates the benefits or preferences of test persons. (…) Rather, overall judgments are made. ”
Regression analysis “one tries to determine the dependence of a variable on several independent variables (Groups, classes), as well as the explanation of this group membership by means of independent variables, which separate the groups as best as possible or characterise them “.
This study represents a customer research, which is a part of market research focused on the consumer’s preferences and buying behaviour. In order to efficiently evaluate the factors influencing the consumer’s purchase decision regarding bottled water, there was used a mixed-approach research by combining a qualitative and a quantitative method.
Early researchers of consumer behaviour, conducted their work starting with the economic assumption, stating that the consumers are rational decision makers, who are going to objectively select from the goods or services available to them, the ones who offer the biggest satisfaction at the lowest price. Later on, Ernest Dichter started using Freudian psychoanalysis methods in order to evaluate the hidden motivations of consumers. His approach, called motivational research, was mostly qualitative.
Nowadays, thanks to Dichter’s work, in order to search profoundly in the consumers’ psychology there are used two different research methodologies. Thus, to efficiently study the consumer behaviour there is used a combination of both, a quantitative and a qualitative research. Frequently, findings of a qualitative study are evaluated empirically and used as groundwork for the conception of quantitative studies (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2007).
The qualitative research was used as an exploratory research in order to have a better understanding of consumer’s consumer behaviour, including its motivations and opinions. Its aim is to offer an insight into the problem or subject and it helps to develop ideas for a potential quantitative research (Bauer & Erdogan, 2012).
For this research a semi-structured interview was used as data collection instrument for exploratory data, in order support the design of the primary research.
Regarding the profiles of the participants, there were selected 3 males and 3 females, university students, but from different environments and fields of study, willing to participate in this study.
The quantitative research has as aim to gather measurements and statistical, mathematical and numerical analysis of data through different data collection instrument, such as questionnaires or surveys. This method offers results that are easy to compare, summarise and generalise (Luthans, 2011).
For this research was used a simple random sample, a probability sample method according to which there is an equal probability of choosing each unit from the population being examined while making the sample.
Regarding the respondents, there was created the online questionnaire using Google Forms and it was shared on different Social Media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. There, the persons consuming bottled water were invited to answer the proposed questions.
The scope of this research paper isto identify the packaging factors influencing the consumers’ purchase decision of bottled water.
The objectives of the researchare indicated hereinafter:
– To determine the connection between packaging attributes and consumers’ purchase decision of bottled water.
-To identify which packaging characteristics of bottled water are more influential for the purchase decision of consumers.
-To identify the effect of each attribute of bottled water packaging on the consumers’ purchase decision.
The author’s approach to research in this paper is exploratory. This means that through a broad literary review and through an in-depth market analysis, the author will see to comprehend which are the packaging elements of bottled water that influence the consumer buying behaviour, as opposed to testing a series of some pre-conceived hypothesis.
The author had the choice to utilise a deductive approach in which there would be tested a series of hypothesis. Moreover, it was considered that this approach would restrain the research’s aim, by focusing excessively on the speculation and insufficient on every other factor that may impact the consumer buying behaviour
As illustrated in Figure 8, there are several steps in conducting this research. The first and one of the most important steps is defining the objectives of the research. Before any other thing, it is essential that the scope and the objectives of the research are established and well defined because they are the ones dictating the course of the paper.
The next step is represented by the exploratory data collection and the evaluation of secondary data. In order to prepare a relevant questionnaire for the already established objectives it was used a series of interviews as a qualitative method and there was collected and evaluated secondary data. There were selected 6 participants for a semi-structured interview, 3 males and 3 females, in order to get balanced opinions. The interviews were face to face and as for the interview type, it was used the discussion areas method and there were notes taken while the interview took place.
The following step was represented by the design of the primary research study, using a questionnaire as a quantitative research method. As an instrument, it was used an online questionnaire using the Google Forms platform. Regarding the dissemination of the instrument, it was shared on different Social Media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. There, the persons consuming bottled water were invited to answer the proposed questions. This option was preferred because it is efficient, fast and free.
Moreover, there was collected primary data, through the received answers from the participants. They were analysed and, finally, the conclusions were drawn.
Figure 8: The process steps of the research
Source: (Luthans, 2011)
To this study there are several limitations. The most important limitation was the sample used in this study. The simple random sampling is a probability sample method according to who there is an equal probability of choosing each unit from the population being examined while making the sample. Nonetheless, out of the total sample of 103 respondents, the majority was female (64,3%). Supporting this idea, a study realised by ComScore in 2016 stated that “women are more engaged than men on the Internet and they are more likely to purchase” (Digital Media Insights, 2016).
Furthermore, another limitation of the research was the fact that there is a language barrier between the research tools used and the consumers living in Romania. The language used in the questionnaire was English, due to the nature of the study and in order to analyse and verbatim highlight the answers.
Also, another fact influencing the study was that university students were selected to participate in the initial interviews and their majority presence on different channels on Social Media, where the survey’s dissemination has taken place. Therefore, a majority of respondents (60,7%) were young consumers between 18 and 24 years old. The small size of the sample does not allow generalization of the results to all consumers. A bigger and more differentiated random sample should be obtained in future researches.
3.1. The questionnaire
3.2.
Semi-structured interview regarding bottled water packaging
Hello!
My name is Alina Palade and I am preparing my dissertation paper, part of my Master’s degree. I am studying Entrepreneurship and Business Administration at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and the subject I am covering is about the packaging factors influencing the purchase decision.
I would greatly appreciate if you take the time to answer few questions. It will not take long.
Thank you so much for helping me out!
Dates: 24.04.2017, 26.04.2017, 28.04.2016
Place: FABIZ building – Bucharest, Transilvania University – Brasov
Duration: 20 min.
Interview method: Areas of discussion, notes based on them
Interview guidelines:
Participants:
“The impact of packaging on consumers’ purchase decision”
Hello!
My name is Alina Palade and I am preparing my dissertation paper, part of my Master’s degree. I am studying Entrepreneurship and Business Administration at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and the subject I am covering is about the packaging factors influencing the purchase decision.
I would greatly appreciate if you take the time to answer few questions. It will take about 10 minutes max.
Thank you so much for helping me out!
* Required
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