Consumer perception of printed point-of-purchase displays

Hedonic shopping value is built with consumers’ fantasies, feelings and fun, and it is more subjective than the utilitarian value, which stems from task completion. From the hedonic point of view, it is important to create positive associations and please the consumer. The hedonic aspect of shopping influences satisfaction with the retailer and positive word of mouth, which have an important role in building store loyalty.

Brand owners (BO) communicate their values through multiple platforms, including point-of-purchase (POP) displays. The material choices of the platform must be in line with the message of the BO. It is therefore of interest to know what kinds of mental impressions the consumers gain and attach to POP displays when the material used or the printing method is changed. Getting the message right is very important for building the right kind of image and for stressing the hedonic shopping value.

In this study, we use the experience map to get a better understanding of the hedonic shopping value associated to a selection of (POP) displays. The experience map is used for visualising how the consumers associate different mental impressions with POP display samples and which visual parameters characterise the same samples. Seven samples of POP displays of sweet selling racks were chosen for the study, of which six were printed by inkjet and one by offset. Six different board samples were used, including one sample of corrugated board.

The results indicate that the experience map is well suited to evaluating the mental and visual attributes of the POP displays. Moreover, the experience map can be used to gain a better understanding of hedonic shopping value. Material choices had a clear effect on the mental attributes evoked by the samples. With the right material choices, the inkjet print quality is a good enough substitute for the offset print quality in sweet selling racks and communicating the message of the BO in the desired way. In this case, the consumers preferred the white background in delivering the message of fresh, berried (rich in berries) and delicious sweets over the brown background. The brown background was associated with an ecological image but at the same time it was experienced as fusty (stale) and cheap.