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Packaging impact on consumer experience : voice of the E-customer

Hellström, Daniel LU orcid ; Vakulenko, Yulia LU ; Figueirinhas, Diogo LU and Pålsson, Henrik LU orcid (2025)
Abstract
With the growth of e-commerce, understanding the nuances of packaging performance and consumer expectations has become essential to enhancing the customer experience. In e-commerce, packaging is a key component of the overall consumer experience, directly influencing perceptions and expectations. Despite its importance, packaging often remains overlooked and is significantly understudied. This exploratory study aims to bridge the gap by investigating the impact of packaging on consumer experience, using text mining techniques to analyse online consumer reviews. Drawing from a comprehensive dataset of Amazon reviews spanning from 1995 to 2016, the study identifies key packaging facets that influence consumer perceptions, including quality,... (More)
With the growth of e-commerce, understanding the nuances of packaging performance and consumer expectations has become essential to enhancing the customer experience. In e-commerce, packaging is a key component of the overall consumer experience, directly influencing perceptions and expectations. Despite its importance, packaging often remains overlooked and is significantly understudied. This exploratory study aims to bridge the gap by investigating the impact of packaging on consumer experience, using text mining techniques to analyse online consumer reviews. Drawing from a comprehensive dataset of Amazon reviews spanning from 1995 to 2016, the study identifies key packaging facets that influence consumer perceptions, including quality, aesthetics, and protection. The findings demonstrate that positive packaging experiences are associated with higher consumer ratings, enhancing the overall shopping experience. In contrast, negative packaging experiences, such as damage or poor design, have a disproportionately large impact, often leading to significantly lower ratings. The study also reveals that packaging failures tend to drive consumer dissatisfaction more than positive experiences drive satisfaction, highlighting the greater weight of negative experiences. Additionally, the research identifies nine distinct facets of the packaging experience, each contributing to the consumer's cognitive, emotional, and sensorial evaluations. When executed well, these facets serve as latent differentiators that support positive consumer experiences. This study provides an initial framework for businesses to improve packaging design, aligning it more closely with consumer expectations and reducing negative experiences. By enhancing the design and functionality of packaging, businesses can improve customer experience and influence purchasing decisions, underscoring the strategic role of packaging in e-commerce. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Customer satisfaction, Text mining, E-commerce, Packaging performance, Product reviews
host publication
IAPRI 2025 - 32st Member Conference - Roanoke, Virginia, USA : The Future of Packaging is Circular - The Future of Packaging is Circular
article number
221
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
18a4e6d1-5f8d-4076-9fdc-88c0ed4b7a96
date added to LUP
2025-05-09 08:06:21
date last changed
2025-05-13 09:06:45
@inproceedings{18a4e6d1-5f8d-4076-9fdc-88c0ed4b7a96,
  abstract     = {{With the growth of e-commerce, understanding the nuances of packaging performance and consumer expectations has become essential to enhancing the customer experience. In e-commerce, packaging is a key component of the overall consumer experience, directly influencing perceptions and expectations. Despite its importance, packaging often remains overlooked and is significantly understudied. This exploratory study aims to bridge the gap by investigating the impact of packaging on consumer experience, using text mining techniques to analyse online consumer reviews. Drawing from a comprehensive dataset of Amazon reviews spanning from 1995 to 2016, the study identifies key packaging facets that influence consumer perceptions, including quality, aesthetics, and protection. The findings demonstrate that positive packaging experiences are associated with higher consumer ratings, enhancing the overall shopping experience. In contrast, negative packaging experiences, such as damage or poor design, have a disproportionately large impact, often leading to significantly lower ratings. The study also reveals that packaging failures tend to drive consumer dissatisfaction more than positive experiences drive satisfaction, highlighting the greater weight of negative experiences. Additionally, the research identifies nine distinct facets of the packaging experience, each contributing to the consumer's cognitive, emotional, and sensorial evaluations. When executed well, these facets serve as latent differentiators that support positive consumer experiences. This study provides an initial framework for businesses to improve packaging design, aligning it more closely with consumer expectations and reducing negative experiences. By enhancing the design and functionality of packaging, businesses can improve customer experience and influence purchasing decisions, underscoring the strategic role of packaging in e-commerce.}},
  author       = {{Hellström, Daniel and Vakulenko, Yulia and Figueirinhas, Diogo and Pålsson, Henrik}},
  booktitle    = {{IAPRI 2025 - 32st Member Conference - Roanoke, Virginia, USA : The Future of Packaging is Circular}},
  keywords     = {{Customer satisfaction; Text mining; E-commerce; Packaging performance; Product reviews}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  title        = {{Packaging impact on consumer experience : voice of the E-customer}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}