It’s a tale as old as time: someone has a spectacular, mind-blowing idea, and they execute it perfectly. Then they phone it in on the packaging, though, and their product gets lost on the shelves or doesn’t communicate what the product actually is, and consumers never give it a second thought. Their brilliant product is an instant flop for an entirely avoidable reason. Oof.
You can avoid this bottom-line-busting mistake by taking the time to research your packaging before you finalize it and send your product to the shelves. Let’s take a closer look at packaging research and some of the top questions you should ask on your packaging survey questionnaire.
Why Your Package Testing Survey Matters
Let’s be honest: humans are visual creatures. How many times have you paused while walking down an aisle at a store and checked out a product just because it caught your eye? Probably more times than you realize. In fact, 72% of Americans say packaging designs often influence their purchases…and that just means 72% are aware of the influence packaging has on them. Many more may be influenced without their realization.
Your packaging has multiple important jobs. First, it has to grab your customers’ attention and make a positive first impression to get them to stop and take a second look. Next, as they’re taking that second look, it has to give them compelling information that will convince them to buy it. Third, it has to further the awareness and positive perception of your brand (not just that one product).
How do you get packaging that does all those jobs? Packaging design is both an art and a science, but a key part of the process is testing your packaging before release to see if it’s up to snuff. And that all hinges on your ability to design a great package design survey questionnaire.
Top Package Design Survey Questions to Ask
In a package design survey, your customers can only give you great insights if you ask the right questions. Of course, before you can build the ultimate survey, you need the ultimate survey tool. Take GroupSolver for example. This AI-driven survey tool allows respondents to give open-ended answers so they can tell you exactly what they think rather than choosing from pre-written multiple choice answers. Behind the scenes, GroupSolver uses advanced artificial intelligence to analyze and synthesize all these answers into usable data and results you can put into action.
With that said, take a look at this sample survey questionnaire for packaging research.
First Impression Questions
What is your first impression of this packaging?
How visually appealing is this packaging?
What are some descriptive words that come to mind when you see this packaging?
Based on this packaging, what do you expect from this product?
How unique would you say this packaging design is?
Based on this packaging, how likely would you be to consider this product in a store?
Overall, on a scale of 1-10, how well do you like this packaging?
Detailed Feedback Questions
What specific qualities of this packaging design do you like and why?
What specific qualities of this packaging design do you dislike and why?
What are the top three aspects of this packaging that would motivate you to buy this product?
What are the top three aspects of this packaging that would motivate you to not buy this product?
Brand Association Questions
Based on this packaging, how trustworthy do you believe this brand is?
When viewing this packaging (with the logo omitted), what brand would you expect to produce this item?
Based on this packaging, what words would you use to describe this brand?
Does this packaging improve or reduce your opinion of this brand?
Based on this packaging, would you be more likely or less likely to buy other products from this brand?
Pricing Questions
Based on this packaging, what would you expect to pay for this product?
Based on this packaging, would you call this product up-scale and luxury or economical and affordable?
What changes to this packaging would make you view this product as a more premium, high-quality product?
Packaging Comparison (Side-by-Side Analysis) Questions
These questions are ideal for comparing a few packaging designs to see which one is most effective.
Between these two/three/four packaging options, which one…
…makes you trust the brand more?
…has more of an upscale feel?
…seems more authentic to the culture it represents?
…seems to fit the [brand name] brand best?
…motivates you more to buy the product?
…is more visually appealing?
…would prompt you to pick the product off a shelf?
Packaging Content Questions
After telling the respondent more about the product, how it works, what problems it solves, and what features it has, you can ask questions like these to gauge how well you’ve communicated the product’s best qualities on the packaging.
On a scale of 1-10, how informative would you say this packaging is?
What information would you like to know that is not on this packaging?
What information could we add to this packaging to make you more likely to buy this product if you saw it on a store shelf?
Packaging Accessibility Questions
How easy or difficult do you expect it to be to open this packaging?
How easy or difficult is it to read the content on this packaging?
Are there any aspects of this packaging that you believe would present a barrier to individuals with disabilities or individuals with physical or intellectual limitations?
Do you have any suggestions to make this packaging more accessible or easier to read?
Respondent Attribute Questions
Either at the beginning or end of your survey, you’ll want to collect some basic details about your respondents. This can include their age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, income level, geographic location, career path, and so on. These questions allow you to see how different segments of the market perceive your packaging so you can better appeal to the markets you want to target.
Launching Your Product Packaging Testing
The questions above can give you a running start in your packaging research. To dive in and make sure your packaging is the best it can be, start by getting the ideal survey tool in your toolbox. Request a demo of GroupSolver today to learn more about getting access to this survey tool and a team of pros to help you design your packaging survey.
