Design
4 June 2025
Some may think it’s purely subjective, entirely depending on one’s preference for colour, shape, format or even texture. However, certain characteristics may be inherent to an effective and eye-catching design.
A study conducted in 2022 by researchers in Brazil aimed to identify key factors that consumers prioritised when choosing coffee bags. It featured 100 participants, with individuals ranging in age from 15-71 years and varying sociodemographic backgrounds. The questionnaire featured 28 structured and semi-structured questions with the survey featuring likert scale questions with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 5 “being strongly agree”.
As brands focus on unique selling points and faster speeds to market, these results may prove to be incredibly practical in establishing the basic foundation to construct a reliable design.
Convenient Information
Designs that conveniently display important information scored highest for an increasingly time-poor society. “Preference for packages that clearly show all information” was the most influential factor scoring 4.64 average. Consumers decide on a product in split-second and even subconscious decisions, thus designs that can accelerate this process can be effective in influencing their decisions. Techniques such as clean typography and concise language could facilitate this.
It’s also noted that subjects were also strongly influenced by the “possibility of smelling the coffee before buying”. This would further reinforce the decision to buy a product by activating the senses associated with coffee.
Quality Assurance
Participants largely favoured features suggesting reliability and authenticity. A resealable zipper, original product, recognised brand logo and presence of quality seals were also strong influencers amongst participants ranging from 4.13 to 4.01. These characteristics typically indicate a high production quality and a degree of authenticity.
Colour Preference
Certain colours were also more popular amongst participants with the most influential colours being red at 40% of votes, dark brown at 22%, black at 19% and orange at 12%. This coincides with colour theory surrounding warm colours as they invoke a sense of heat, strength and taste - all hallmarks in a fresh coffee blend. This is further demonstrated by 37.5% of subjects associating the colour green with organic products. Creative uses of colour that reinforce or challenge these findings may also prove beneficial in future designs.
In short, consumers preferred coffee packaging with clearly displayed information, indicators of authenticity and reliability and characteristics that stimulate senses of sight and smell associated with coffee.
What this means for companies
These valuable insights on consumer behaviour can be implemented by brands to develop highly effective and reliable coffee packaging. By using these findings as a starting point, speed to market and prototyping hours can be significantly reduced which would drastically decrease energy consumption and increase production efficiency.
Ultimately, these may increase the chances of successful new designs of coffee pouches.
Will these findings influence your next project?
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