Abstract
The paper takes as its starting point some Henley Centre research, entitled ‘Frontiers’, that demonstrated that 73 per cent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale. Coley Porter Bell was interested to find out how brand design affected the way consumers made those purchase decisions and commissioned some research from Research International. The results of that research and conclusions drawn from it form the basis of the paper.
The research took the form of an accompanied shop — interviewing different groups of consumers before, during and after their shopping trip — to try and gain an understanding of what part design played in the process. The results were recorded, either on video or on audio tape and transcript.
The paper is in three parts. The first is concerned with the research itself and looks at how consumers behave with respect to design while supermarket shopping. The second part looks at why the research reveals the important role of design in the decision-making process and the third provides practical guidelines on how to use this knowledge to the benefit of FMCG brands.
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1Amanda Connolly graduated in French and Marketing from Lancaster University and started in FMCG marketing as a brand manager at Nestlé and then Burton's Gold Medal Biscuits, She joined the brand identity consultancy Coley Porter Bell in 1989. In 1995, she was promoted to managing director and started a change management programme within the company to ensure it remains leading edge. Amanda has been largely responsible for the development of CPB in the international arena, working on a world-wide basis with ICI Paints, Seagram, Kimberly Clark and Lego and on a European basis for Van den Bergh Foods and Promodès.
2Lucy Davison graduated in English Literature from University College London and Landscape Architecture from The University of Greenwich. She is a freelance marketing consultant, working in business development and public relations for several leading design and marketing agencies. She has contributed articles about design issues to several publications including Marketing, Marketing Week, Design Week, Graphics International and the Financial Times. Coley Porter Bell is one of the UK's leading identity design consultancies, part of the world-wide communications group WPP. Founded in 1979, Coley Porter Bell now has over 65 employees and a turnover of £6m. Its clients include Cadbury's, BT, Kimberly Clark, BBC, LEGO and Seagram.
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Connolly, A., Davison, L. How does design affect decision at point of sale?. J Brand Manag 4, 100–107 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.1996.33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.1996.33