Product packaging communication in the global market – the analysis of consumer behaviour

Cracow University of Economics, Department of Packaging Science, Rakowicka St. 27, 31-510 Kraków

^* Corresponding author: kabajab@uek.krakow.pl

Abstract

Research background: Business activities of international companies primarily focus on the use of marketing instruments to shape global markets. The basic tactic tools employed are those related to the product and its brand. The changes in lifestyle observed in global society have led to an increase in the importance of packaging and labelling as a means of conveying information from the manufacturer to the consumer.

Purpose of the article: The aim of the study was to analyze consumer behavior related to the selection of canned carbonated drinks offered by various producers, operating on the global and local market. The research material comprised 10 packages of canned carbonated drinks. In terms of the variety of flavors, the products belonged to two different groups: orange-flavored and lemon-flavored.

Methods: Eye tracking was the method used in the study. Eye tracking is a research tool consisting in tracking the visual activity of the examined person. Carbonated drinks evaluations were performed using Tobii X2-30 Eye-tracker. Sixty subjects participated in the test.

Findings & Value added: The conducted research shows that consumers are more likely to choose the products of global brands than the local ones. In the first part of the study, the respondents focused on graphical elements representing fruit. In the second part, the subjects more often focused on the verbal elements that had been removed from the first part of the test. These findings suggest that verbal elements are very important in the purchasing behavior of consumers.