Product Packaging and Competitive Advantage

Packaging is the art, science and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Although advertising is a major sales promotion tool, packaging is even more critical. This is because, for other promotional tools, there is always the need for communication to persuade and attract the consumer. However, when packaging is properly done, the products can sell by themselves. Consumer intention to purchase depends on the degree to which consumers expect that the product can satisfy their expectations about its use (Kupiec and Revell, 2001). But when they have not even thought about the product much before entering the store, this intention to purchase is determined by what is communicated at the point of purchase. Thus the package becomes a critical factor in the consumer decision making process because it communicates to consumers at the time they are actually deciding in store. Thus product package still adds charm to Pilditch's (1961) statement "The silent salesman". This paper discusses the relative importance of 'Package' to be rightly considered as the fifth 'P' of marketing mix.