Adding warmth to packaging! The impact of anthropomorphism in packaging on anticipated consumption enjoyment

Libin Chen, Miaoran Zhang and Ke Ma

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2025, vol. 87, issue C

Abstract: Anthropomorphism, as an innovative design strategy, has been widely applied in product packaging. However, the impact of anthropomorphism in packaging on consumers' anticipated consumption enjoyment, its underlying mechanisms, and boundary conditions have not been fully explored. Through three studies, we seek to explore the influence of anthropomorphic packaging on consumers' anticipated consumption enjoyment and the underlying psychological processes involved. Specifically, we revealed that packaging anthropomorphism significantly enhanced consumers’ anticipated consumption enjoyment. Further revealed the serial-mediated roles of perceived cuteness and perceived psychological closeness between packaging anthropomorphism and anticipated consumption enjoyment. In addition, we tested the moderating effect of product gender, with results showing that the effect of anthropomorphic packaging was more pronounced for masculine products, while its impact on feminine products was relatively weaker, especially under high levels of anthropomorphism. These findings offer practical insights for businesses to design more attractive and emotionally resonant packaging.

Keywords: Packaging anthropomorphism; Anticipated consumption enjoyment; Perceived cuteness; Perceived psychological closeness; Product gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:87:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925001900

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104411

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