When packaging communication does not tell everything

: a study of the impact on purchase intent

Abstract

In the past, packaging was only meant to protect the product and facilitate transportation. However, the function has changed and is increasingly seen as an essential marketing element. Now, packaging has a greater weight in making distinctions between brands and an enormous influence on consumer choices, especially in capturing attention between various products. This dissertation focuses on gluten ­free pasta and how different types of packaging affect consumers' choice decisions. The stimuli studied are packages that omit information, packages with the right information, and packages with the wrong information.In order to choose the best stimuli for the study and avoid bias, a focus group was carried out. Next, an online questionnaire was conducted to test the hypotheses built in the literature review. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS Statistics and are presented in the last chapters of this dissertation. Through the tests, it is revealed that perceived quality explains the relationship between stimuli and purchase intention and that the moderator, consumer knowledge, does not moderate the relationship between perceived quality and purchase intention and the relationship between packaging and purchase intention.

Date of Award	31 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Romeiro (Supervisor)