From cues to choices - a study on extrinsic packaging cues for Bag-in-Box wines in Finland

Abstract

This thesis was commissioned by Blend Maker Oy to support the development of its new 3L Bag-in-Box (BiB) brand Staffi for the Finnish alcohol monopoly Alko. BiB wines contribute an increasing and significant role in the sales of wine in Finland. The success of the wine does not only depend on the intrinsic attributes but also on whether the extrinsic attributes, such as packaging, match the category expectations of the consumers while differentiating from the crowded shelves.

The objective of the research was to determine which extrinsic BiB packaging cues increase the Finnish consumers stated purchase likelihood the most, how these preferences differ by wine type, and how the results can be applied for Blend Maker Oy’s future BiB packaging. The study’s goal was to translate these findings into an evidence-based guide assisting in the design process of current and future BiB products.

The research was conducted through a quantitative, image-based online questionnaire. The questionnaire gained 74 eligible respondents who completed two types of questions: pairwise A/B comparisons about typography, colour, award presence, eco-certifications, and back-label density, as well as ranking questions on holistic front-label styles per wine type. The pairwise question data were analysed with odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and Win Indexes, while ranking questions were analysed using the Borda score and choice percentages.

The results show clear preference differences on wine types alongside a few strong cross-category preferences. Sans and Sans-serif fonts were preferred for white wines, Serif performed the best for red wines, and Script was strongly preferred for rosé wines. Colour preferences followed category prototypes. Light green performed the best for whites, red-based palettes were preferred for reds, and higher contrast darker pink accents outperformed pale palettes for rosés. Across all wine types, the holistic style that incorporated a landscape illustration ranked highest, showcasing the importance of familiar and schema congruent designs. Packaging that included award badges was chosen roughly five times more often, and eco-certifications roughly twice as often compared to otherwise identical designs without these markings. Back-label designs that were more concise and had low information density were clearly preferred over information-dense designs.

This thesis does not compare the weights of different cues against each other, but the different styles of a specific cue to each other. Based on these findings, the thesis proposed an updated Staffi packaging concept and a practical design guide that assists Blend Maker Oy’s future BiB efforts.