The role packaging on consumer's perception of bottled water quality at the point of purchase - The case of Aquafina Vietnam
Abstract
Packaging is considered as a crucial element of the marketing mix nowadays. It can affect the way consumers perceive the product quality through its four functions. In the case of Aquafina, this is particularly true. By studying the new packaging of Aquafina, this research aims to investigate how the 4 functions of packaging can impact the consumer’s perceived product quality at the point of purchase. The result of the research can be used to help Aquafina improve its packaging as well as giving more insights on the packaging to other companies.
There are 4 independent variables: Protection of product and consumer, Promotion of product, Facilitation of storage, use, and convenience of product, and Facilitation of recycling and reducing environmental damage. The dependent variable is consumers’ perception of product quality at the point of purchase. The research is carried out by distributing surveys at the point of purchase. The survey has a total of 22 items for the variables and some items on the characteristics of the respondents. After collecting the data, there were 300 appropriate answers that can be put into data analysis, consisting of descriptive statistics, reliability, correlation, and regression.
In the end, the result of the research is that all four independent factors have a positive relationship with dependent factor. Promotion of product is the most important factor that can significantly affect the perceived quality of consumers. The Facilitation of storage, use, and convenience of product, Protection of product and consumer, and Facilitation of recycling and reducing packaging have a moderate relationship with the dependent variable. From this, some recommendations have been given to improve the consumer’s perceived product quality through packaging.
The study has some limitations to be considered. The scope of the research is quite small compared to the large target population. Moreover, the process of collecting data is very challenging as respondents may not be cooperative. The data can also be biased because of the personal preference and taste of the participants.