“Less is more?”

: how packaging design shapes purchase intentions across cultures and channels

Abstract

This dissertation examines how packaging design affects consumers' intentions to buy, taking into account the moderating impacts of cultural orientation (individualism vs. collectivism) and retail setting (online vs. in-store). The research seeks to determine whether minimalist or maximalist packaging designs are more effective in various retail situations and cultural contexts. A quantitative experimental design was employed, and the hypotheses were tested using statistical analyses, such as t-tests and moderation analysis, using survey data from 218 people exposed to visual stimuli representing different packaging designs and retail scenarios. The findings indicate that packaging that is simpler tends to work better, particularly in online retail settings where aesthetics are crucial. It was determined that cultural orientation had no noticeable effect on the overall purchase intention, with individualist customers favoring minimalist designs and collectivist consumers having more subtle preferences.

Date of Award	23 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Romeiro (Supervisor)