Case Study - Choosing the Packaging That Drives Sales

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Case Study - Choosing the Packaging That Drives Sales

The challenge

A winery had 14 label visuals for its new bottle range. Two labels were already used in stores, while 12 were new concepts. The team needed to know if the existing labels were still competitive or if new visuals should replace them.

The solution

We ran a MaxDiff study on images with 250 consumers. Respondents repeatedly chose the most and least appealing label among small sets. This produced a robust preference ranking with direct comparability between existing and new designs.

What we learned

New label concepts clearly outperform the existing shelf labels.
The three existing labels (Label 6, Label 7, and Label 11) were outperformed by multiple newer concepts. The packaging refresh was not just justified, it was overdue.
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🏆 Top 3 Labels

Label 1: 89%
Label 2: 84%
Label 3: 81%

Remarkably, all three top-ranked labels are exclusively new design concepts.

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📈 Performance Gap

New labels occupy the top 5 ranks. Existing labels were pushed down to positions 6, 7, and 11 with scores of 76%, 71%, and 42%, a clear preference gap that validates an immediate redesign.

Why it matters

Instead of relying on internal preferences, the brand identified which packaging options actually drive sales in-store.

Business impact

Online sales
+9%
In-store sales
+6%

A clear, market-validated decision, ready to be implemented.

ℹ️ About the real study behind this case

This case study was derived from a real study conducted by MaxDiffPro. It has been anonymized for confidentiality: the tested options and results shown here do not correspond exactly to reality. The actual study had the following characteristics:

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Country
French flagSwiss flag
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Items tested
18
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Respondents
~200
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Timeline
4-5 days

The timeline depends on the complexity of the study and the target audience.

Label Preference Ranking

Image-based MaxDiff ranking across existing and new label visuals

All (n=203)
Label 1 New
Label 1
89%
Label 2 New
Label 2
84%
Label 3 New
Label 3
81%
Label 4 New
Label 4
80%
Label 5 New
Label 5
76%
Label 6 Existing
Label 6
76%
Label 7 Existing
Label 7
71%
Label 8 New
Label 8
64%
Label 9 New
Label 9
57%
Label 10 New
Label 10
48%
Label 11 Existing
Label 11
42%
Label 12 New
Label 12
42%
Label 13 New
Label 13
36%
Label 14 New
Label 14
34%
Label 15 New
Label 15
27%

Run a Similar Study for Your Product

MaxDiff helps teams identify which messages, features, or ideas truly resonate with customers.

Typical study: 15�25 items tested � 150�300 respondents � Results in 3�5 days

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