A study by the UK’s Angela Ruskin University into the drink-buying habits of consumers indicates that beers with ‘task-relevant’ information on their labelling (i.e. text that encourages the shopper to read more about the product) are more attractive than those with more 'distinctive' labelling.
In the study led by Tim Froggett, a senior lecturer in marketing, consumer psychology, and retail and shopper marketing, beers Badger Blandford Flyer and Tweed Hopster were chosen most often by the study participants, even though they were described as 'less distinctive' in terms of labelling.
Meanwhile, Fuller’s 1845 and Shepherd Neame 1698 scored highly in terms of distinctiveness, yet they were far less popular.
The study suggests that the 'relationship between visual attention and choice is more than three times stronger than the relationship between distinctiveness and choice', and that if 'bottles and label designs are tested for visual attention, their on-shelf performance can be improved'.
"Distinctiveness and visual attention are not the same," Froggett explained. "An object may be distinctive simply because it is different from other objects surrounding it, and the factors creating distinctiveness are not necessarily the same as those driving attention, consideration and choice.
"In crowded supermarket environments, shoppers direct attention to the centre of objects, where they expect to find choice-related information such as product type, brand name or details of flavour characteristics.
"In the case of Fuller’s 1845 and Shepherd Neame 1698, the beer labels are distinctive but do not have the task-relevant information that attracts attention and guides decision-making."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here
