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It's packaging that matters
D.PRAVIN
"IF PANDORA'S box had not been so attractive on the outside, Pandora would not have opened it," says Revu, as she explains the reason for picking up the bright box of chocolates and the ornate biscuit tin.
Of late, anything ranging from toilet paper to a food processor is presented to customers in an attractive package. Processing and packaging have undergone a revolutionary change.
As far as Chennai is concerned, the trend was set by several multi-national companies, which entered the local market to present their products in myriad colours, shapes and sizes.
Vegetables and fruits packed in transparent polythene bags and displayed at supermarkets look fresher than those available at the roadside shops.
A can of baked beans, processed and packed months before the purchase, is displayed in such a way that it looks like a gourmet dish.
The method of packing a product, be it the inexpensive table salt, tends to increase the face value of the product.
"It's something psychological. Customers tend to decide the quality of a product based on its packing," is what Mahesh, the manager of a local supermarket, has to say.
"The customer's attitude and the shop's ambience have totally changed today. The dirty sacks in which cereals were earlier kept have now been replaced by colourful packets with eye-catching captions," says Mrs Parekh, a 50-year old housewife. Presentation is the key word. The more vibrant the packaging is, the easier it becomes to woo the consumer.
"Call it a shrewd sales gimmick or a craze, it does not really matter. What matters is the increase in sales and that is the ultimate aim of the manufacturer and the shopkeeper," quips Sajeesh, owner of a departmental store in T. Nagar.
"But it does not work all the time," says Mrs Parekh. "I ended up buying a poor quality cereal at a higher price going by its bright cardboard box packing." The attractive presentation camouflages quality many a time.
"I usually end up buying even things I don't really need when I visit a supermarket. It's hard to resist the neatly displayed and beautifully packed things on the shelves," says Pooja, a college student.
However, the concept of packaging appears futuristic. And has made shopping a delightful experience.
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