MeadWestvaco designed the Amplify package for skin care products that active consumers use. It includes Rolling Bellow Technology, a patented mechanism the company describes as “a revolutionary 100 percent silicone, single component engine,” and promises controlled dispensing as well as product protection.
Careful consideration
The company realized that the packaging industry was working from incomplete information: “We noticed that we only had anecdotal information on how the consumer was using, interacting and storing products,” Steven Kazanijan, MWV’s vice president, told Cosmetics Design early this year.
Consequently, MWV conducted a Skincare Research & Insights Study this spring that shows how consumers’ contact with and response to packaging determines, in part, their impression of a given skin care product and the brand.
The participant sample of 120 people from 6 countries did not self-select products contingent upon price point. “Consumers today expect more at every price point, and the distinctions among mass, masstige and luxury products are shifting,” said Kevin Clark, president of MWV Home & Beauty.
Tactile features
Study participants were more inclined to evaluate a product based on its package; how easy it is to use, transport, and store as well as how tidily the product is dispensed.
“At MWV, we have embraced this shift through the idea that every product tier can have a more premium feel. It’s no longer reserved for high-end beauty products. With Amplify, we have created a pump designed for the right value that still enhances the consumer experience with the brand and product,” said Clark.
Off the shelf
Packaging and display has conventionally been considered quite relevant in the store. MWV is eager to find new ways that packaging can connect consumers to a brand as they use the product and as they shop for it online.
Kazanijan anticipates that e-commerce is a space of opportunity for the industry: “For savvy marketers who pick it up, it’s going to change the personal care things significantly in the way we design packaging both primary and secondary,” he said.
Consumers engage with personal care products and the applicators in real life and often. With a research-baked packaging strategy, and Amplify in particular, MWV hopes to intercede in that engagement for the good of their brand customers. “This type of enhanced experience fosters deep emotional connections and brand loyalty, leading to repeat purchases,” according to the company.