Cans come out on top in new consumer preference study

From Packaging World

Numerous packaging attributes are critical to consumers when making beverage choices, according to new data from the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). The research was conducted by FoodMinds, a Chicago-based food and nutrition consulting company, and included three unique components to understand the role of beverage packaging containers throughout the consumer experience, from the point-of-purchase to consumption. Explains research author Grant Prentice, Director of Strategic Insights at FoodMinds, “The study confirmed that beverage cans contribute positively at every point of the consumer experience, and it’s clear there is a preference for cans across several beverage categories.”

Key findings from the report include:

• 85% of consumers believe that cans protect the taste experience by blocking out the effects of light and helping preserve flavor and carbonation.
• 53% of all adults indicate that packaging is “very” or “extremely important” when choosing a beverage; 74% of frequent beverage consumers say that the container is “very” or “extremely important” in their beverage choices.
• 69% of consumers feel that a chilled can feels colder and more refreshing than a plastic bottle.
• 81% say the infinite recyclability of the can matters to them.

The research also indicates that package design plays an essential role at the point-of-purchase. Overwhelmingly, consumers are choosing cans based on their ability to feature 360-degree graphics:

“This research reinforces the can manufacturing industry’s belief that the can provides the best beverage experience for the consumers,” says CMI President Robert Budway. “Choosing the aluminum can is the perfect vehicle to impact beverage sales at the point-of-purchase.”

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