Role of Packaging in Marketing

Packaging refers to the process of arranging goods in materials like containers or polythene before providing them to the customers. The paper describes the role of packaging in the marketing process. One, packaging acts as a source of information to the buyers. This applies mostly to new goods in the market, where the buyers may not have adequate info on how to use the good. The other importance is on attraction to the customers. This is understood through the Kano's theory of quality attractiveness, where the scholar argues that how sufficient and quality goods look, determines if the customers will buy the products or not (Jin & Bennur 2015).  For example, whenever the Tiffany Company is mentioned, a person remembers the big blue boxes used to package by the company. This indicates that the type of packaging used, and especially the color, makes customers like the company and thus become its customers.

 Apart from that, the packaging is beneficial regarding utility.  This is because, where goods are packed, it is easy to transport them without damage. This is not only helpful to the company, but to the customers as well, as they find the goods easy to carry from the stores to their homes (Rundh 2016).  Therefore, the marketing department has to ensure that the products advertised are packed based on their nature, to convince the buyers to purchase them. Differentiation is the other importance of packaging in marketing. Some goods are too similar, regarding their use and thus the company should uniquely pack their product so that the buyers differentiate. For example, hair shampoos are of different types, but they look alike. Companies that produce this good should, therefore, have a particular package to make sure their buyers identify the product quickly.

References            

Jin, B., & Bennur, S. (2015). Does the importance of apparel product attributes differ by country? Testing Kano's theory of attractive quality in four states. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 33(1), 35-50.

Rundh, B. (2016). The role of packaging within marketing and value creation. British Food Journal, 118(10), 2491-2511.