Localising the packaging of foreign food brands: a case of Muslim consumers in Pakistan

TLDR: In this paper, the authors investigated the extent that consumers prefer the localised packaging over standard packaging, and how the differences may vary across different product types, and found that the role of packaging is more pertinent for hedonic than for utilitarian products.

Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this study was to investigate the extent that consumers prefer the localised packaging over standard packaging, and how the differences may vary across different product types. An ongoing debate facing marketers is whether marketing approaches should be localised as international brands enter foreign markets. In practice, international brands often localise their packaging when sold in foreign markets. This research questions whether and under what conditions is this practice beneficial to foreign brands. Design/methodology/approach – The experiment used a 2 (product type: hedonic versus utilitarian) × 2 (packaging design: standard versus local) factorial designs. Product type was within-subjects, and packaging design was between-subject to minimise learning effects. For each product type, two product categories were used. Findings – Overall, the results show that the role of packaging is more pertinent for hedonic than for utilitarian products. For hedonic products, participants pref...