CIAS Innovation partnered with RIWI to assess ice cream packaging designs using neuromarketing techniques, helping the brand capture consumer attention and communicate key product benefits in a saturated market.
The Challenge
The ice cream market is crowded with legacy brands and emerging healthier options, making it challenging for any product to capture consumer attention. CIAS Innovation realized that traditional research methods, like surveys and focus groups, weren’t enough to reveal the subconscious factors influencing purchasing decisions. To understand what truly makes packaging stand out and effectively communicate key benefits, such as “seed-oil free” or “plant-based,” they needed a more advanced research approach.
The Solution
1
CIAS Innovation partnered with RIWI's CoolTool platform to apply advanced neuromarketing techniques for optimizing ice cream packaging. The research began with virtual shelf testing, using eye-tracking technology to measure which packaging designs captured consumer attention.
2
Eye-tracking revealed how quickly each package attracted attention and which design elements were most engaging. Heatmaps and gaze plots provided a comprehensive view of how consumers interacted with the packaging, helping CIAS identify areas for improvement in design elements like logo placement, text size, and color schemes.
3
After refining the packaging designs based on insights, CIAS used RIWI's platform to re-test the revised packages on the virtual shelf. This process allowed them to assess improvements in noticeability and overall consumer perception, ensuring that packaging was optimized from concept testing through final design validation.
The Impact
The advanced research approach, combining eye-tracking and package testing, allowed CIAS to identify winning packaging designs that effectively captured consumer attention. The insights gained helped the ice cream brand communicate key product benefits clearly and stand out in crowded freezer aisles. The iterative testing process ensured that each design was optimized for maximum impact, resulting in greater shelf presence and consumer appeal.
For us and for the companies we work with, it is important to understand if the position of the corporate brand is optimal and if the position of some symbols or claims makes it clear to the consumer. For example, a logo for which the company has invested heavily in processes or changes in raw materials (such as gluten-free or palm oil-free) cannot go unnoticed or be less noticed than less important information. Matteo Bonfini Sensory and Consumer Insight Consultant, CIAS Innovation
