New products and consumer's preferences: an eye tracking experiment on labels and packaging for olive oil based dressing

The product can be defined as a “basket of attributes” which provides the customer with the functional value specific to that class of product, as well as a set of secondary values (called benefits or services) which may be necessary or added. These additional services differentiate the brands and may have determining influence on customer’s preferences. Within the "GLASOIL" project (ID CUP J77H18000280006) the research activity focused on the development of the new product (olive oil based dressing) as a whole through the evaluation of the basket of attributes. Once the main reference targets had been defined, the survey focused on the expectations and evaluations of potential customers with respect to the new product. Investigating consumer preferences, before a product is launched on the market, is fundamental for companies and makes it possible to reduce failure rates. Through the creation of a focus group, the preferences and opinions of potential consumers on a new olive oil-based condiment were investigated. From the results obtained, different combinations of packaging were elaborated, subsequently used as graphic stimuli to carry out tests with eye tracking, aimed at verifying the presence of possible weak points of the packaging before launching the product on the market.

The results show that, for this specific type of product, consumers prefer a transparent package that makes the product visible inside, characterized by elegant lines and equipped with a drop breaking cap.

On the label, on the other hand, consumers, in addition to the information required by law, want to see the origin of production and instructions on possible use.

In conclusion, the analysis with eye tracking shows that images with elements such as a hand using the product, prove to be "winning", as they attract the observer's attention. Eye tracking analysis also confirms that men and women look at the packaging and label differently.