Packaging and its impact on drug sales

How does packaging affect the sale of medicines?

Due to the fiercely competitive nature of the pharmaceutical market, market players are forced to positively differentiate the products they sell. Final purchasing decisions may depend on details such as the aesthetics of the packaging or its portability. Before starting the promotion and distribution process, it is therefore worth finding out what customers' real needs are. As part of our survey research, we investigated the impact of packaging on purchasing decisions and which of its components consumers pay most attention to. It is worth conducting drug surveys to keep everything under control.

Conclusions of the survey

Polish consumers still go to the pharmacy for medicines, as declared by as many as 97% of respondents. However, we are unable to convince ourselves to purchase medicines online - only 7% of Poles have so far purchased medicines in this manner. At the same time, as many as 73% of the respondents considered online shopping to be less safe than in a pharmacy. Relatively rarely (15%) do we purchase medicines in specialist shops.

What should the ideal packaging look like?

The expiry date is the most frequently considered factor by Polish consumers before purchasing a drug - this was indicated by 76% of the respondents. We also often look for instructions for use (59%), dosage (56%) and side effects (55%). On the other hand, exactly one in two respondents declared that they read information on the composition of the medicine before making a purchasing decision.

The assessment of packaging is, in the opinion of most consumers, influenced by its legibility (62% of indications), as well as protection against mechanical damage (43%). Slightly less frequently (41%), Poles pay attention to the mechanism of protecting the preparation from adverse effects of such factors as temperature, moisture and sunlight.

The survey also included a question asking respondents about their knowledge of intelligent packaging patents. So far, only a sporadic proportion of respondents had had contact with this type of solution. In contrast, we diagnosed the existence of unmet needs in ¼ of the survey participants, which relate to the provision of packaging with the following elements:

• a sensor sending signals about the exposure of the medicine to adverse environmental factors;
• a reminder system for when to take the next dose of medication;
• an automatic recorder of when to take each dose.