PACKAGING DESIGN, BRAND TRUST, CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT, AND PURCHASE INTENTION: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTANI CONSUMER MARKETS

Abstract

Packaging has evolved from a purely protective function into a strategic marketing instrument, yet empirical evidence on how packaging design shapes purchase intention remains scarce for Pakistan, a market with retail infrastructure, income distribution, and consumer literacy profiles distinct from the Southeast Asian, East Asian, and Sub-Saharan African contexts in which most recent evidence has been generated. This study addresses that gap by testing an integrated model, grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, signalling theory, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, in which packaging design influences purchase intention directly and indirectly through brand trust, with consumer involvement moderating the strength of this relationship. Data were collected from 290 adult Pakistani consumers via a structured online survey using validated multi-item scales, and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. All five hypotheses were significant and supported except HI: packaging design significantly predicted purchase intention (β = -0.268, p < .000) and brand trust (β = 0.416, p < .001); brand trust significantly predicted purchase intention (β = 0.042, p < .001) and partially mediated the packaging-purchase intention relationship (indirect effect = 0.146, VAF = 40.4%); and consumer involvement significantly moderated the packaging-purchase intention link, with the effect strengthening from β = 0.206 at low involvement to β = 0.507 at high involvement. These findings extend recent conceptual refinements in brand trust and sustainable packaging design equity to an under-represented consumer context, and offer FMCG brand managers an evidence-based basis for calibrating packaging investment between trust-building and immediate persuasive objectives across consumer segments of differing involvement. Limitations relating to the cross-sectional design and non-probability sampling, along with directions for future research, are discussed.