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New Frontier Data Explores How Packaging Affects Consumer Purchasing Habits

Cannabis retail marketing should be thoroughly researched in order to catch potential customers’ attention, particularly in highly competitive markets. New Frontier Data gives a great insight into the brand packaging of a product and its perception by customers. New Frontier Data publishes the information it collects in its newly published publications. Cannabis Consumers in AmericaThe report identifies the consumers based upon their purchase behavior and market trends. It is categorized as: Savvy Connoisseurs., Contemporary Lifestylers., Legacy Lifestylers., Medical Lifestylers., Modern Medicinals., Engaged Explorers., Social Nibblers. Holistic Healers.

Consumers choose products according to the effect they want, which is 51 percent. While potency is also a contributing factor, New Frontier Data’s newest report explored the end result of popular brand packaging appearances, and shared which ones people tend to prefer the most.

For this product survey, participants were asked if they seek out flower from particular brands or companies: 43% answered “sometimes,” 21% said “always,” 19% said “rarely,” and 17% answered “never.” Overall, 28% added that branding and packaging is “very or extremely important” when considering what to buy.

Six flower packaging image options were analyzed, showing the percentages of those who prefer them most: Black Minimalist Jar (7%), Gold Jar(9%), Craft Paper Jar (4%) Mountain Landscape Jar (16%) Hippie Colorful Jar (17%), Prescription White Jar (36%).

The Black Minimalist Jar is described as a common choice between a variety of age groups, but often chosen because it was “cool, modern, and masculine.” Those who preferred this jar usually spend between $50-$199 per transaction and are more likely to consume cannabis every day.

The Gold Jar was most popular with consumers over 55, describing it as “cool, natural, or modern.” Some described it as feminine, but it was slightly more preferred by men. People who are drawn to the jar tend to buy between 3.5 and 14 grams of this product per month. They also typically spend $50 to $99 on a single order. These customers are more inclined to purchase topicals or transdermal items.

The Craft Paper Jar featured a simple brown exterior with black text, which attracted consumers who like to consume cannabis in a social setting because it is “natural, authentic, and cool.” Those who are drawn to this packaging tend to buy $20-$99 worth of product in a single purchase. 

The Mountain Landscape Jar attracted younger consumers because it was “cool, natural, and authentic.” They were also the customers most likely to choose vaping as their primary way to consume.

The Hippie Colorful Jar was the most colorful of the bunch, which attracted medical cannabis consumers more than adult-use consumers, describing the jar as “cool, authentic, and modern.” Sixty-four percent of these consumers usually spend between $20-$99 in a single purchase, and prefer edibles over other consumption methods.

Finally, the Prescription White Jar was the most popular of all of these designs, appealing to all age groups and consumer types for its “medicinal, authentic, and natural” approach to design. People who choose this design tend to buy more than an ounce of marijuana per month and prefer cannabis over other products.

New Frontier Data cites Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman, an expert on marketing who is also a co-founder of consultant firm Olson Zaltman Associates, which has worked with some of the world’s largest brands. According to Zaltman’s book Market Intelligence: How customers think, 95% of purchasing decisions are subconscious, and 93% of people will “rely on visual cues when considering new products.”

New Frontier Data encourages companies to continue thinking about their product brand identities. “As consumers become increasingly diverse and delineated in both their motives and methods for consumption, brands should aim to directly articulate how a given product suits a consumer’s goals, rather than settle simply for selling flower.

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