Il packaging come strumento di comunicazione del valore della marca privata

Packaging as a communication tool for Private Label The aim of this paper is to in-depth analyse the communication role of packaging for private label products in grocery retailing. Traditionally, store brands were characterized for a lack of communication investments in comparison with manufacturer brands. This caused perceived risks associated to private label purchase higher than to other branded products. However, in recent years the most own brand-oriented international retailers have been able to fill this gap of consumer trust by investing in improvements of packaging graphic and stylistic elements. Moving from this empirical evidences, the paper identifies the most effective packaging attributes in capturing consumer attention and purchasing inclination both for standard store brands lines and for premium/value private label lines. Then, a comparison between different business models is conducted to show the delay of Italian retailers compared with the most successful international ones. In the end, managerial implications are presented, underlining the opportunity for grocery retailers of a strategic marketing approach in packaging activities in order to develop consumer store loyalty. Keywords: Private Label, packaging, communication, store brand image, store loyalty.