Influence of Packaging Interaction Experience on Willingness to Pay

Previous research shows that consumers' experience of product packaging affects their value perception and that willingness to pay (WTP) is linked with package experience attributes. However, studies addressing the link between packaging interaction experience and WTP are rare. Yet, interaction experience may affect repeat purchase behaviour. The present study examines how consumers' WTP changes when measured before and after opening and interacting with a new package. A between‐subjects experiment of three different package prototypes for different products was administered to 77 consumers. The first WTP was based on the first impression and appearance of the package. The second WTP measurement was performed after the subjects had opened the package and had been exposed to its functional dimensions. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used to understand the relations between interaction experience and WTP. Spontaneous experience descriptions were collected through a questionnaire before and after opening of the package. The sensomotoric interaction experience was studied with a short version of the Interaction Vocabulary scale. Our main finding is that interaction experience can change WTP. There was an increase in WTP for 57% of the respondents, no change for 29% and decreased WTP for 14% of the respondents. Differences in the increase of WTP were found between respondent groups and between packages. Stimulating user experiences were found to have a significant impact on the increase in WTP, while pragmatic flaws decreased it. By combining the experiential data to WTP, the study sheds light on how packaging interaction experience influences consumers' WTP.