Multisensory Packaging Design across Cultures

A major issue in designing packaging that appeals to all the senses is the question of whether marketers should adopt a pancultural or a culture-specific approach. This chapter discusses how culture impacts consumer perception, processing, and behaviour related to the design of packaging. The chapter starts with a brief discussion of cultural dynamics, after which a comprehensive review of culture-specific perception follows. Section 3 illustrates how individual and cultural differences impact consumer processing of packaging characteristics. Sections 4 and 5 highlight the interplay between packaging design and consumer behaviour and outline avenues for future research. In so doing, we provide academics with a state-of-the-art overview of cultural aspects of multisensory packaging, alert practitioners to the possibility of tailoring their packaging to particular cultural groups, and illustrate possible applications using actual brands and examples.