Berry Plastics begins in-house focus group research for its packaging at newly expanded Evansville, Indiana, headquarters, which includes facilities where actual experiences can be simulated, like in a laundry room

Bdebbie Garcia

LOS ANGELES , October 17, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – Berry Plastics Corp. has started doing focus group research for its packaging in-house, at its newly expanded headquarters in Evansville, Indiana, reported the Courier & Press on Oct. 3.

The company, which makes plastic packaging, films, tapes and coatings, contracted with an outside company to do the focus group research until this spring, when its headquarters’ expansion was completed.

The focus groups have met at least once a month since April and are selected according to certain demographics that relate to the product being studied.

This research into “the minutiae of their experiences,” helps Berry Plastics design a package that “makes the consumer experience a little bit more enjoyable,” said product designer Jason Rowe, the Courier & Press reported.

At Berry Plastics’ research facility, focus groups can be observed in discussions or demonstrating their use products in ‘usability rooms,” such as a laundry room.

Customers of Berry Plastics can come to the company’s research facility to observe a focus group on their product’s packaging.

A trend, including patterns and preferences, can be revealed during the focus group sessions, and Berry Plastics “almost always follows it” in making decisions, said Rowe, reported the Courier & Press.

In one focus group on fast-food packaging last week, Berry Plastics was determining if a product was worth pursuing and found that its earlier research on the product idea was validated, Rowe said.

Of its 16,000 employees worldwide, Berry Plastics employs 2,300 in the Evansville area. The company makes over 5,000 products and had net sales of US$4.3 billion last year, the Courier & Press reported.

The primary source of this article is the Courier & Press, Evansville, Indiana, on Oct. 3, 2011.

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