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Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

candyjapan.com

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Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#81

Post by mc32 »

alphonsegaston wrote: post #76
mc32 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I think the main issue is how the buyer might perceive the packaging. If a coworker has issues... I think the coworker has issues. It's like someone finding Barbie offensive (for other than body image issues). I can't see it. Are these people who whisper and shuffle when they buy condoms or feminine products at the checkout counter? Do they wrap their wine or beer in brown bags? It's hard to imagine this person.

Masking one's preferences and behavior to avoid offense in a public is a defining element of Japanese society and culture. And while everyone there is more inured to these kinds of graphics, the design of packaging for everyday goods often veers towards the minimal/elegant for precisely this reason. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae

That presumes this graphic is offensive which I feel it's not.

That said, that does not explain people reading the kinds of graphic novels and magazines they do in plain sight in public on trains in parks, etc.

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#82

Post by giarc »

bemmu wrote: post #71

Just a small update, but I just ran a survey for customers to see which package they would rather have. Which package design would you rather receive? The white one with illustration 79% The plain dark one 21% Total votes: 52

I'd suspect much different results if you conducted the same survey but indicated that the white box may result in cost increases to the customer. I suspect they wouldn't care about the box if it meant a higher cost.

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#83

Post by Agustus »

xlance wrote: post #79

I run a subscription business through mail myself, and I love your posts. Have you tried to run introduction offers? 50% off for first shipment for example? If I were you I would try to put the countdown for the next shipment on top of your site. Thats a really powerful psychological factor. Your CTA is also a little unclear, why do I need to first get an email, then a link? The buy process should be straight forward…

* Could you give me more information on how you sourced your cartons?

* What does LTV mean?

* What does USP mean?

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#84

Post by stordoff »

bemmu wrote: post #8
keiferski wrote: post #4

Have you considered that the new box is too "generic" or "corporate?" (For lack of a better word) In other words, the old box, while plain, adds a certain intimacy. It doesn't look like a huge multinational candy company sent it. The new box, though, looks basically like any other piece of Japanese media.

I can see how that might be the case. Current subscribers might know me personally or through my blog. That would then mean that as I start to reach out to people who don't know me personally, these results could change.

As a current subscriber (who has been receiving the old packaging), the new packaging is off-putting:

* It looks childish. If you are familiar with the Japanese style of advertising etc., probably not an issue, but as a box to be sent anywhere and to be received in a variety of settings (workplaces etc.) it seems like a poor choice.

* Anime may have poor connotations (unfair IMO) as pointed out elsewhere in the thread, which will reflect on the receiver.

* It feels corporate / like advertising. It may seem silly, but I'm more likely to continue subscribing to a small company if I'm on the fence about canceling.

* It feels like a waste of money. The current packaging is utilitarian, which signals that money is being spent only where it needs to be. The new packaging feels like an unnecessary indulgence, which would make me think I'm getting less value out of the subscription.

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#85

Post by vertex-four »

morgante wrote: post #44
mc32 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I think the main issue is how the buyer might perceive the packaging. If a coworker has issues... I think the coworker has issues. It's like someone finding Barbie offensive (for other than body image issues). I can't see it. Are these people who whisper and shuffle when they buy condoms or feminine products at the checkout counter? Do they wrap their wine or beer in brown bags? It's hard to imagine this person.

Humans are social animals. When I buy things, I absolutely consider how that purchase will look to other people. it's one of the primary reasons why brands have value. You might not like that the world works that way, but as a business it's wise to not deny reality.

> I absolutely consider how that purchase will look to other people. it's one of the primary reasons why brands have value.

Wait, what? In fashion, sure, by definition - but when I'm choosing between Persil and Tide, or Coke and Pepsi, or Pizza Hut and Domino's, I'm primarily looking at how good it is at whatever I want it to do. Which one cleans better, which one tastes better?

There's a certain point where many people start buying things more as social signalling than as actual useful things, but I'd disagree that the vast majority of brands could be fashion items in this way. The rest use their brands to evoke trustworthiness - "I know that this will do what I want".

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#86

Post by NathanKP »

bemmu wrote: post #71

Just a small update, but I just ran a survey for customers to see which package they would rather have. Which package design would you rather receive? The white one with illustration 79% The plain dark one 21% Total votes: 52

I didn't get in on the survey and got the old box in the A/B test, but I would 100% prefer the white one with the illustration for my subscription. I order my candy to the office to share and people usually see the box from Japan and are curious so they ask me about it and I tell them about the candy subscription.

The white box would be better advertising for you in my case :)

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#87

Post by alphonsegaston »

mc32 wrote: post #81
alphonsegaston wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Masking one's preferences and behavior to avoid offense in a public is a defining element of Japanese society and culture. And while everyone there is more inured to these kinds of graphics, the design of packaging for everyday goods often veers towards the minimal/elegant for precisely this reason. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae

That presumes this graphic is offensive which I feel it's not. That said, that does not explain people reading the kinds of graphic novels and magazines they do in plain sight in public on trains in parks, etc.

I hadn't intended to imply that the graphic was offensive, nor do I think that most Japanese people would find it so either. I was just pointing out (perhaps imprecisely) that perceived appropriateness in Japan is highly context dependent, with work environments being amongst the most conservative in this regard. The degree to which people seek to avoid offending others (as compared to the US) is quite at odds with a "if someone doesn't like it, it's their problem" mentality.

Trains and parks, by contrast, are generally considered an appropriate context to consume these kinds of materials. That being said, book covers are also far more commonly used for exactly the same reasons.

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#88

Post by capote »

mrmondo wrote: post #18
bemmu wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are great points. I'm actually hoping to be convinced that I should stop using the new box, because it costs more. Maybe I should start calling this the plain vs. rapey test.

Yeah, pretty sure if customs kept seeing boxes like that appearing they're going to start investigating people...

…for what?

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#89

Post by NathanKP »

Agustus wrote: post #83
xlance wrote: post #79

I run a subscription business through mail myself, and I love your posts. Have you tried to run introduction offers? 50% off for first shipment for example? If I were you I would try to put the countdown for the next shipment on top of your site. Thats a really powerful psychological factor. Your CTA is also a little unclear, why do I need to first get an email, then a link? The buy process should be straight forward…

* Could you give me more information on how you sourced your cartons? * What does LTV mean? * What does USP mean?

LTV = Lifetime Value = How much money you make off your subscriber over the lifetime of their subscription

USP = Unique Selling Point = Why your subscription gives the subscriber something they can't get anywhere else

Re: Results from Candy Japan box design A/B test

#90

Post by michaelbuddy »

aresant wrote: post #5

In a past life I founded/operated a conversion rate optimization company. One of our all time most successful tests was related to this story and happened almost by accident. The client had just rolled out new packaging and wanted help validating the change statistically, very similar to this situation. Their metric was measuring upsells to a premium product after a purchase, and like Candy Japan, found statistically…

Hmm, let's see. Beautiful Japanese woman(en) in form fitting outfits holding product, smiling. 940% bump I'd bet.
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