The Effects of Single-Serve Packaging on Consumption Closure and Judgments of Product Efficacy

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of single-serve and multi-serve package formats in the pharmaceutical and functional food and beverage industries, prior research has yet to explore the effects of such package formats on consumers’ perceptions of product efficacy. Building on the resource availability, product packaging, and psychological closure literature, the authors demonstrate across seven studies that when processing capacity is low, consuming a particular serving/dosage of a product from a smaller resource inventory (i.e., the entirety of a single-serve package) may subjectively feel more adequate than consuming the same amount from a larger resource inventory (i.e., a multi-serve package, namely one in which additional servings/doses remain after consumption). Results indicate that differences in felt consumption closure underlie perceptions of product adequacy. Importantly, perceived product adequacy is shown to affect consumers’ actual product efficacy experiences (i.e., task performance), expectancies, and judgments. The implications of this research for marketers, consumers, and the public health community are discussed.