How shape of beverage bottle woos customers

A wine display at WoW Beverages shop in Nairobi: The shape of a bottle can even lead to impulsive buying due to consumer’s attraction to the packaging. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG 

By OYUGI ZABLON

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Summary

• Behavioural scientists have found that rounded designs result in a greater likelihood of purchase because they are more appealing and pleasing to the consumer.
• Besides rounded bottles, curved bottle are also preferred by consumers as a design that makes it easy for consumers to grip the bottle.
• Curved bottles are also easier to pour from, offering consumers packaging that will not cause spillage.

Round or circular shaped beverage bottles are more likely to be bought than others, leading companies globally to focus on their product’s package offering, research has found.

“Customers are drawn to a beverage product from the first impression of the shape of its bottle because of the outward appeal making them feel comfortable with a specific brand even if it is the first interaction,” said Keroche Breweries Limited marketing manager Francis Mwalili.

The shape of the bottle can even lead to impulsive buying due to consumer’s attraction to the packaging.

According to a study on the design of consumer packaging looking at the effects of manipulations of shape orientation, and alignment of graphical forms on consumers’ assessments, behavioural scientists found that rounded designs result in a greater likelihood of purchase because they are more appealing and pleasing to the consumer.

“Product packaging presents an important opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to communicate with the consumers, both at the point of sale and through experience of a product over time.

“In our study we examined two products, water and vodka, placed in different shaped bottles. They were manipulated with respect to shape angularity, orientation, and left–right alignment,” reported the researchers.

“The participants’ were asked to rate the packaging design as visually appealing and to indicate a purchase preference.

“The evaluations indicated a preference for rounded shares and upward orientation. An interaction that is likely to influence purchase suggesting that a product’s shape may be advantageous to a company.”

Besides rounded bottles, curved bottle are also preferred by consumers as a design that makes it easy for consumers to grip the bottle.

These shapes also give security to customers that the bottle will not fall easily while they are enjoying the drinks, while the aesthetic appeal brings a sense of comfort, said Mr Mwalili.

In addition, curved bottles are also easier to pour from, offering consumers packaging that will not cause spillage.

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An example of a company that enjoyed success after changing its product’s packaging to a curved shape is Anchor, a dairy products company in New Zealand.

In 2002, the firm switched its milk product packaging from square shaped cartons to curved transparent plastic bottles.

This led to a 10 per cent increase in sales in the first month after changing the shape of its milk bottle.

Indeed, after the official launch of its packaging, the company increased sales by 30 per cent, in total, without advertising, crediting the rise to the fact that the new bottle shape made it easier for consumers to hold and pour milk.

“It was taking a simple product and injecting it with some emotion and personality.

“The new bottle shapes improved sales and gave Anchor a point of difference,” said Simon Wedde, Dow Design group account director at the brand and design agency that was in charge of the new design, in an interview with online retail magazine, The Register.

Universal market research is also playing an increasing role in determining the shape of a product’s bottle.

In the beer industry, for instance, cylindrical short necked bottles are considered to be more appealing to manufacturers than long necked beer bottles, at least for Keroche Breweries.

“Most of Keroche alcoholic drinks, like Summit Lager and Summit Malt are packaged in cylindrical short necked bottles: this is because long necked beer bottles were abandoned due to the high amount of shipping space they occupied, thus reducing the amount of beer cases delivered,” said Mr Mwalili.

“However, long necked beer bottles provide more of a canvas for a logo on both the bottle and the carrying case, be it a six pack or four pack, than the cylindrical short necked bottles.”

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