Abstract

The commercial success of a product depends not only on the product development process, but also on the packaging design since one of the main missions of the packaging is to enhance the initial impression of the product in the eyes of potential consumers and stimulate their purchasing desire. An effective packaging design enables a product to stand out from its competitors and create an initial impression which generates a favorable consumer psychological reaction. This phenomenon is conspicuous in the visual design of bottled products, such as shower gels, shampoos, cosmetics, and so forth. However, to create a successful bottled shower gel packaging design before the product is launched onto the market, it is essential to comprehend the consumers’ likely sentimental responses regarding the visual design of bottled shower gel packaging and to explore the particular features which dominate these responses. Accordingly, the present study conducts a questionnaire-based investigation into consumers’ sentimental responses to the visual design of 27 bottled shower gel packaging samples. The evaluation results are then analyzed using Conjoint Analysis and the TOPSIS algorithm to determine the critical attributes / features which govern the consumers’ sentimental responses to the visual design of the bottled shower gel packaging. The results provide packaging designers with a useful insight into the psychological reaction of consumers toward bottled shower gel products, and are hence of significant benefit in improving the likely commercial success of the product once brought to the market.

Keywords: Bottled Shower Gel, Packaging Design, Visual Design, Consumers’ Sentimental Response (CSR), Design Feature