Have you ever purchased something just because of its packaging or the way it was displayed on the shelf? It always made me laugh to think that people buy things because of this and half the time it’s something they don’t even need. But then I realized that I have done this a couple of times, be it choosing one product over another or just because it looked good. I noticed that I have trouble passing things off because of the presentation of it. It’s also surprising how much of a difference it can make seeing an item online vs in-store. So this is one of my experiences that I just had to buy something just because of the box it was in.
Once I was scrolling through some videos in my room when all of a sudden I saw this advertisement for a product, Cirkul Water Bottles. I knew about this product before but I never showed interest in it or when I did I never looked into it more, so I never got it. But this time when I saw this new advertisement they were releasing new bottle designs. One in particular caught my eye, so I looked it up. I began to think “Yeah I would buy this, but only when I saved up enough money for it or I will just ask for it for Christmas.” I didn’t need it but I thought it would be cool to have, but just seeing it online didn’t give me the drive to buy it right away. That is until about one to two weeks later I saw the exact bottle at a Walmart where I was shopping.
The Box
I don’t know why but seeing it on that shelf made me want to get it then and there. But what surprised me was the quality of the box the water bottle was in. I just thought it was going to come in a regular flimsy box or not a box at all, but this box made me want to buy it. Looking at the box I thought “Only expensive things come in these types of boxes.” It was heavy-duty and had a magnetic flap to open and close the box. But most of all like the water bottle, the box had a chrome color that changed depending on the lighting. So the packaging played a big role in me wanting to buy the product.
The Display
I know I didn’t need it and I already had a water bottle. I went through all the pros and cons of the water bottle. But I stood my ground and told myself that I would get it another time that I didn’t need it and that I could use the money somewhere else, like to get food. But then when I was just about to leave I saw the display case, “Limited Time Bottles.” All of a sudden I wanted that bottle again. I didn’t want it to be gone the next time I came and I didn’t want to have to wait for it if I ordered it online. So I got it, I got the water bottle I just had to have because the box was pretty and the display told me that the bottles were going to go away soon.
From this experience, I learned that packaging and display play a big role in the promotion and selling of a product. They use these methods to grab your attention and make you want their product. It could be a really bad product and people will still want to buy it. Not saying that the water bottle was bad at all, I still use it a lot. But the fact that the bottles are still on the shelf saying that they are going to go away soon was a little annoying to see. They got me and my money, so next time this happens I am going to be more aware, and not buy something just because of how it looks. You should always research the product before you buy it, and always be wary of the products you spend your money on.