Abandon Discard of Damaged Packages

An unusually shaped container attracts attention, say University of Southern California researchers. Replies a set of researchers from California State University-Los Angeles, University of British Columbia, and Carleton University in Ontario, Canada, attention doesn’t always increase sales. If the container’s shape hints at damage, then shoppers avoid purchasing it. In the studies, imperfections as minor as a torn package label were sufficient to sabotage sales.
     Researchers at University of Georgia and University of Pennsylvania add that if a package looks incomplete, consumers will conclude it holds a lower quantity compared to packages of equivalent size and weight but without blanks in the design. It’s as if the missing portion generates feelings in the consumer that part of the contents leaked out, leaving less behind.
     Perceived damage even leads to a wasteful hesitation to recycle. In studies at Boston University and University of Alberta, participants were asked to evaluate a pair of scissors. Some were instructed to cut one or two sheets of paper as part of the evaluation. The others were instructed to conduct the evaluation without cutting the paper. Afterwards, each participant was told to discard the paper as they left. By the door were two identical bins, one for trash and one for recycling.
     The people recycled whole sheets of paper much more often than the pieces which had been cut. Damage led to trashing.
     How can retailers head off their own resigned discard of damaged packages? Here are three research-based answers to that question:

• If the nature of the product and production methods allow, call the item “organic.” The effectiveness of this tactic is likely to be greater when accompanied by information about how ensuring flawless appearance uses precious resources and can require harmful chemicals. Results from a research project at Denmark’s Aarhus University suggest a way to increase retail sales of abnormally shaped food items: Sensitize shoppers to the importance of fully using what’s available. 
• Add a physical barrier between the damaged package and the item itself. For example, the item could be wrapped in a plastic bag and reinserted into the flawed package. 
• Place the items in calmer areas of the store. In the Los Angeles / British Columbia / Ontario studies, consumers who had lots to think about and remember were more affected by viewing damaged packaging. A related tactic is to space out the items on the shelves or racks. 

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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