Survey: Customers go beyond packaging

Simple physical packaging doesn’t cut it for today’s omnichannel consumer.



Although 85% of U.S. adult shoppers say reading a product package helps them make in-store purchase decisions, 78% have wanted additional information about a product after reading a product's package, according to a new Harris Poll commissioned by Digimarc Corp.



Especially notable for retailers, these same shoppers report they are more likely to research and buy online when they cannot readily find the product details they desire (75%). The need for additional product information is even higher (87%) among millennials, compared to people aged 35 or older.



At the same time, a majority (65%) of smartphone owners are willing to spend less than a minute researching a product on their smartphone while in the retail store aisle.



The most common information shoppers seek after reading a product's package are price comparisons (45%), reviews or ratings (43%), special offers or coupons (40%) and ingredients or nutritional information (34%) such as caffeine content. Consumers also expressed interest in details about which country a product was manufactured in, technical specifications and similar information.



Inadequate product information on the package can mean lost sales for brick-and-mortar retailers, and the survey reveals that store employees aren't an adequate substitute. Sixty percent of smartphone owners say if they can't find information on their smartphone, live help can be difficult to find in store.



This survey was conducted within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of Digimarc from Oct. 1-5, 2015 among 2,019 adults ages 18 and older.

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