The effect of packaging on consumer's purchase behaviour:A survey on food products

Nowadays because the differences among the products have been decreasing and the variety of products has been increasing, it has been gradually becoming more difficult to create a difference and to affect consumers? decisions on buying a product. Since the similarities among the goods which have the same function have gone up, firms prefer making differences out of small details. Packaging, as an outstanding effect which differentiates the products in the minds and lives of consumers, appears in front of us. Packaging in food stuffs is not only a factor which protects the products and prevents them from going bad, but also a concept which appeals to consumers? feelings and affective on their decisions of purchase. Packaging is considered to be an important marketing facility that makes it available to introduce the product. This function is important in terms of directing the Consumer and trying to make him decide. In fact, packaging, which plays the role of a sales assistant in developed self-service systems, is a factor which gets in touch with the consumer first and delivers the message which the producer wants to send to the consumer. That is the reason why packaging is accepted as the fifth P (packaging) of marketing. In this work that has been carried out, the effect of packaging on consumers? behavior of purchase in food stuffs has beeen searched and the expectation of consumers from the packaging has been tried to be determined. In this work, a poll on consumers has been conducted and it has been evaluated by using statistical techniques and the datum, which have been obtained as a result of the techniques which have been used, has been inter preted and suggestions have been made. What becomes a matter of primary importance while shopping packaged foodstuffs is the thought of healty, good quality and dependable foods. Taking the foodstuffs into consideration, it has been observed that the effect of the packaging functions on Consumer purchasing behavior isn?t diverse according to the type of the product. While making a decision of purchase, it has been determined that the most important expectation of consumers from foodstuffs packaging is concrete benefits such as; protection of the product, convenience and providing knowledge. It can be said that consumers pay attention to colour, shape and design later on in respect to consumers? making a decision. t has been determined that there is diversity between the attitudes of consumers towards packaging functions and their education, age and gender groups. That consumers?s choice of packaging diversifies according to food variety and their special features has came up.