The arrangement of items on a shelf, their color, shape, and relative size, all subtly guide purchasing behavior. Even minor modifications in packaging — a slightly taller bottle, a marginally wider jar, or a redesigned label — can profoundly influence perception.
A recent legal dispute in the spice industry highlights just how powerful these small differences can be, and how they can carry real consequences for consumers and companies alike.
McCormick recently reduced the quantity of pepper in one of its most popular containers, shrinking the net weight from roughly eight ounces to approximately six ounces — a reduction of around twenty-five percent. Despite this significant change in content, the container’s external size and shape remained largely the same. Continue reading…
