Search results

This paper investigates how to design traditional ready-to-eat food packaging by manipulating its shape, font and slogan to promote consumer buying intention and willingness to pay (WTP).

Two package designs, interplaying the square shapes (vertical vs horizontal), font formality (formal vs less formal/casual) and slogans (ethno-positioning vs short and catchy), were created and tested in an online experiment with 483 participants.

The results revealed that the differed package designs elicited relatively equal levels of attractiveness to consumers and their buying intentions. However, the designs significantly differentiated consumers' WTP. The results further show the significant direct and indirect effects on WTP of packaging attractiveness when it is moderated by package designs and mediated by buying intention. However, the varied package designs did not have significant direct or indirect impacts on WTP when mediated by packaging attractiveness and buying intention.

The vertical square-shaped packaging, written in a less formal font and highlighting a short and catchy slogan, is more financially promising for marketers to get a better price for local food products perceived as hedonic and bought impulsively on casual occasions. Furthermore, besides prominent package design elements such as font, color, size, material and picture, packaging designers or marketing practitioners should consider other supporting factors, such as shelf efficiency.

This study complements existing studies of “cue utilization theory” and “packaging design theory” by demonstrating the importance of extrinsic packaging cues, such as shape, font style and slogan, in improving consumers' WTP for traditional food products. The study also fills some gaps in the literature by exploring the direct, mediating and moderating relationships between package design, packaging attractiveness, buying intention and WTP, especially in an emerging market such as Indonesia.

Postulating that individuals exposed to the threat of contagious diseases respond oversensitively toward other people, the current research aims to investigate its impact on consumers’ preferences for human images—human presence—in product packaging.

Five independent online and offline experiments were conducted. Studies 1, 2a, and 2b employed a three-group (threat: contagious vs. control vs. noncontagious) between-subjects design to investigate the main effect and its underlying mechanism. To further examine the moderation effects, Study 3 used a 2 (threat: contagious vs. control) × 2 (product feature: basic vs. antibacterial) between-subjects design, and Study 4 employed a 2 (threat: contagious vs. control) × 3 (human type: non–human vs. human–adult vs. human–baby) between-subjects design.

Studies 1, 2a, and 2b demonstrate that consumers facing the threat of contagious diseases tend to avoid social interaction, leading to a lower preference for products featuring human presence (vs. non-human presence). Studies 3 and 4 contribute to our hypothesized process by providing boundary conditions. Specifically, when the product incorporates an antibacterial function (Study 3) and the packaging depicts a baby (Study 4), the existing effect can be attenuated.

Despite the prevalence of experiencing epidemics and pandemics, little work has examined how threatened consumers respond to product packaging. The present research addresses this gap by exploring consumers' preferences for products featuring human presence on their packaging. Furthermore, this research contributes to the practical understanding of consumer choices by identifying product features and human types as moderating factors.

The adoption of the design thinking approach (DTA) within organizations is crucial for generating creative and innovative solutions to complex business and societal problems. However, the integration of DTA into organizational practices is progressing slowly and needs immediate attention. Numerous interrelated and interdependent barriers hinder the integration of DTA into organizational practices. This study aims to identify and categorize barriers to DTA adoption within organizations into cause and effect (C–E) groups.

Barriers to the implementation of DTA were identified through a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with eight professionals to gather insights into real world barriers. The study follows the resource-based view (RBV) theory to identify the barriers. Following this, the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to categorize the barriers into C–E groups.

The study identifies 18 barriers to DTA adoption within organizations in the Indian context. The results revealed that the most prominent barrier to the DTA implementation within organizations is the misfit with existing processes and structures, followed by weak organizational culture and difficulties in implementing the idea. Our findings suggest that managers should champion the adoption process. This will help in motivating employees and fostering a culture of design thinking in the organization. Organizations need an open mindset and should give employees more opportunities to experiment. There is an immediate need for measures that enable better collaboration between business organizations and educational institutions, including universities, to promote DTA.

The findings of the study will help the organizations and decision-makers in expediting the adoption of DTA within their organizations. The results categorize the barriers into C–E groups, allowing organizations to take appropriate measures to address the cause group barriers and minimize the impact of the effect group barriers.

This study is the first of its kind to utilize the RBV theory in identifying and classifying barriers to DTA adoption within Indian organizations. However, the findings are also applicable to other countries with similar business environments.