Do Hedonic Cues on Product Packages Influence Consumer Behavior? A Study on Utilitarian Retail Food Products

Edin Güçlü SÖZER; Merve İŞERİ UZUNOĞLU

doi:10.21325/jotags.2020.627

Authors

Edin Güçlü SÖZER
Merve İŞERİ UZUNOĞLU

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2020.627

Keywords:

Hedonic cues, Utilitarian products, Product package, Perceived quality, Purchase intentions

Abstract

Brands in retail packaged foods sector, which is characterized with aggressive competition, rely heavily on the influential effect of packaging as an important marketing mix element used to generate competitive advantage. Brands apply different types of cues on packages of utilitarian as well as hedonic products to boost their impact on consumers. Although there are studies focusing on the influence of such applications on consumer behavior, there is a lack of studies in the literature which focus on the effect of hedonic cue applications on utilitarian retail food products. This study contributes to the marketing literature by filling this gap and measuring the influence of hedonic cue applications on perceived quality and purchase intentions of consumers in the context of utilitarian retail food products. An experimental design is implemented, and the experimental condition manipulated was the intensity of the hedonic cue application on the package. Total of 520 questionnaires consisting of 13 questions are obtained in eight group of consumers who are randomly selected as regular supermarket visitors. The sample was composed of consumers who are between twenty and sixty years old (covering, Gen X, Y and partially Z) in Turkey. The results confirmed no significant effect of hedonic cues on utilitarian product quality perceptions and purchase intentions of consumers. Managerial implications and future study suggestions are provided.

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