Packaging and Customer Value A Service Perspective

Abstract: Already in the mid-seventies it was concluded that there are very few, if any, ‘pure’ goods or services. Nevertheless, over 20 years later, most publications on services focus on how service characteristics differ from goods. More recent research emphasizes that the present economy is, and will continue to be, service-dominated, but it also acknowledges that the offered good is an important part of the offer. It has also been suggested that the most important work in service research today applies both to the service sector and the goods sector. In this licentiate thesis an attempt is made to conduct research that applies to both these sectors by investigating packaging from a service perspective.The traditional role of packaging in consumer products has been to store and protect the content. Current consumer and industry trends, however, suggest an increasingly important role for packaging as a strategic tool as well as a marketing vehicle. Companies consequently need to develop, design, and provide packages with high customer-experienced quality. In this context it is important to recognize that customer value is something perceived by customers rather than objectively determined by companies.To study packaging from a service perspective is relevant for several reasons. One reason is that packaging is something that can have several functions, which include something more than the physical package. Another is that packages are carriers of information that is interpreted by customers. The combination of functions, information, the physical package, and its content creates the total customer experience.