Packaging Changes How We Think About Chocolate

According to a new study, the way chocolate is packaged has a strong influence on how we perceive taste when it comes to chocolate.

According to Australia’s University of Melbourne, while repeat purchases may be based upon taste, first time chocolate purchases are heavily influenced by packaging – and the way chocolate is packaged has a strong effect on how we feel about it.

“There’s a difference in how consumers perceive intrinsic product cues – like flavor, aroma, and texture – which are associated with sensory and perceptual systems, and how they perceive external cues – like packaging materials, information, brand name, and price – which are associated with cognitive and psychological mechanisms,” says Frank R Dunshea, a member of the team working on the study.

“The information provided via packaging can influence customers’ expectations and affect their emotional response when their sensory experience confirms or doesn’t confirm their initial impression.”

The study asked 75 volunteers to answer questions about chocolate based on three different conditions: a taste test without packaging, a taste test with the packaging visible, and simply looking at the packaging without tasting the contents.

The packaging was given different concepts, including bold, special, and healthy. When volunteers were asked to rate the chocolate, chocolate wrapped inside packaging featuring positive words or ideas was given a significantly higher rating.

“An estimated 60% of consumers’ initial decisions about products are made in stores solely by judging the packaging,” said researcher Sigfredo Fuentes.

“As a result, our findings offer important insights that can be used in product design and development to control product intrinsic and extrinsic attributes by enhancing the emotional attachment towards the food products.”