Complexity masks your secrets: Secrecy salience drives consumer preference for complex product packaging

Consumers often encounter consumption contexts in which they wish to conceal their purchases from social others, a phenomenon known as secrecy. Yet, little is known about how secrecy shapes consumers’ preferences for product packaging design. Across five studies, including secondary retail data and experiments, we demonstrate that secrecy salience increases consumer preference for visually complex (vs. simple) product packaging. Studies 1 and 2 establish this core effect using both secondary data from Walgreens health products (N = 9001) and a more controlled experiment. Studies 3a and 3b reveal the underlying mechanism that drives the core effect. That is, making secrecy salient enhances the motive to hide, thus increasing the preference for complex design. Moreover, Study 4 demonstrates the moderating role of anticipated embarrassment. That is, when embarrassment is low, the core effect of secrecy salience on the preference for complex design would be attenuated. These findings extend research on packaging aesthetics and secrecy salience while offering actionable guidance for retailers and brand managers: products commonly purchased in secret may benefit from complex packaging designs at the point of purchase.