Packaging News

Polythene packaging manufacturer Duo UK has carried out research to gain insight into consumer attitudes to gift and luxury packaging, particularly in the context of stretched household budgets

The family-owned company’s research revealed 61% of men and 63% of women felt that receiving a professionally gift wrapped present made the item ‘extra special’.  Among 18-24 year olds this figure rose to 72%.

Consumers also associated a number of positive halo effects with gift wrapped purchases including: An increased propensity to repeat order (35%); An improved perception of value for money (25%); Improved brand image (25%); More likely to recommend to a brand to a friend (20%); and a belief that a brand invests more in customer service (20%).

When it came to the drawbacks of packaging, 8% of consumers said they would potentially consider the brand un-environmentally friendly and 14% said there would be more packaging to dispose of.

The managing director of Duo, which this year celebrates 25 years in the packaging business, David Brimelow commented: “These figures show that overall gift wrapping and luxury packaging have a strong, positive impact. This type of packaging not only positively affects a customer’s perception of a particular item, but also positively influences customer behaviour patterns, which in turn leads to higher levels of profitability.

“Factors such as repeat ordering and increased word of mouth recommendations are just two customer behaviour traits that are essential for retailers. They also indicate that high quality packaging has a long-term impact on consumers and profoundly alters a customer’s perception of a brand.

When it came to who consumers would be most likely to purchase gift wrapping for, men and women showed marked differences. Women were most likely to purchase gift wrapping for their mum (31%), while just over half of men (51%) said they’d be most likely to buy gift wrapping for their partner. By contrast only a quarter (25%) of women would pay for a gift to be wrapped for their partner.

Men were also shown to be willing to pay more for packaging than women – almost 40% of men said they would spend over £2 on gift wrapping, compared to only 33% of women.  At the upper end of the scale, almost 10% of men would spend more than £4, compared to only 6% of women. Like men, younger consumers were also likely to pay more, with 13% of 18-24 year olds indicating they would spend over £4 for gift wrapping.

Duo counts a number of retailers with a high proportion of gifted purchases among its clients, including Photobox, Kiddicare, Getting Personal and Mamas & Papas.