Studies have demonstrated that surface texture of packaging impacts purchasing behavior. New research provides more insight into why that's the case. Texture isn't just more engaging or interesting - it actually has an impact on our emotions and physiological states. When a customer picks up a product that has tactility, they may actually feel something different than they would if it was smooth. Weight also plays a role in how customers perceive a product.
A recent study from neuroscientists at Brain House Institute on behalf of Derprosa-Ti, a unit of Taghleef Industries, found products covered with the company's Soft Touch film were chosen 70 percent more often. The film's velvety feel increased emotional intensity by more than 275 percent and enhanced positive emotions toward the products.
Researchers applied the film to items such as wine bottles and perfume packages, then had customers handle the same items without the tactile covering. During the experiments, researchers measured participants' brain and cardiac activity using electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram equipment. The EEG provided information on cognitive and neuronal activity, while the ECG demonstrated the strength of each emotional reaction.
All in all, textured objects instigate a physiological reaction in customers. Smoothness, roughness and other attributes can impact a customer's heart rate and brain activity. Using texture provides a deep relationship with the object that can lead toward a sale.
Derprosa Ti's experiment isn't the first time a scientific connection has been made between texture and human emotions. In 2010, Joshua Ackerman, assistant professor of marketing at MIT Sloan, determined that textures of physical objects impact how we feel about other people.
In his experiments, Ackerman tested how the weight, texture and hardness of objects unconsciously influences people's perceptions of unrelated events, situations and objects in the near vicinity. According to Ackerman, what we touch impacts how we think - not only about the object we are holding, but also other people and situations around us.
"In situations where evaluations and decisions really matter, we need to pay attention to our physical surroundings and, in particular, how we engage these surroundings through our sense of touch," said Ackerman in a press release from MIT.
Ackerman found shoppers were more confident about products they were able to touch. However, his research delved deeper. He had survey participants rate job candidates while holding the applicant's resume on a clipboard that was either light or heavy. The difference in weights impacted how participants rated candidates. When evaluated on a heavier clipboard, candidates were rated better overall. The same thing occurred when the clipboards were replaced with chairs that were either hard or soft - reviewers in hard chairs believed potential employees to be more stable.
It stands to reason, then, that the texture of a product impacts the way consumers think about the brand and item in question. As the researchers also pointed out, people tend to use textural metaphors to talk about emotions. Phrases such as "having a rough day" or "gravity of the situation" play into the ways customers perceive textures.
Utilizing texture in packaging has a significant impact on customers. Playing around with different tactile strategies may influence shoppers in surprising ways. Companies may want to experiment with ways to reinforce the value of their products using texture. Smoothness conveys luxury and contentment, but harder edges or a rough feel might convey seriousness or a product that is heavy duty. These findings give manufacturers many ideas to work with.