Identifying hardware and fasteners purchasing patterns

Project description

A chain of DIY hypermarkets sells some of its products, in particular hardware and screws, under its own trademark. The chain had a desire to create a bright modern brand to stimulate sales of its hardware. The client developed the brand concept and made prototypes of the packaging design. 

The client wanted to understand how new packaging design is perceived by consumers and whether packaging design is important for them when choosing hardware. Searching for the answers to these questions, the client contacted our company.

Main goals of the project

In order to fulfill the client’s wishes, we identified the following main objectives of the project:

• Identify the hardware choice patterns at the shopping site, in particular the role of packaging and its individual elements – It is possible that consumers pay more attention to price or some other factors when buying hardware, while packaging and brand are not important for them.
• Test the developed prototypes – The hardware packaging prototypes designed by client must be convenient for consumers and evoke the right associations to be appealing and stimulate sales.
• Develop recommendations to improve the solutions designed by the client – All deficiencies in packaging design identified by consumers should be reported to the client with suggestions for their elimination.

Methodology used 

To conduct the study, we chose the interview format with hardware buyers at the customer’s outlets. This format is best suited for understanding what motivates customers to choose hardware, what are the reasons they give preference to particular stores and brands.

A total of 25 interviews were conducted in 5 client’s stores. Customers who put hardware or fasteners of a particular manufacturer in the shopping cart for non-professional use participated in the interviews.

Main results of the project 

According to the interview results, it was revealed that packaging and brand are not important factors when choosing hardware – the location of stores and product range are much more important for consumers.

Neither the packaging design prototypes nor the brand name resonated with consumers. Consumers associated the proposed brand with anything but hardware. In addition, certain design solutions were perceived by consumers as inconvenient, and some innovative features were not even noticed. Most consumers did not express a desire to overpay for the proposed packaging design.

The client was advised to develop its own hardware trademark, but not to make significant investments in the brand. We suggested redesigning the proposed packaging prototypes taking into account the wishes of consumers and market trends.