Place Heavy Products in the Bottom or Right

Do your customers want a heavy product?

Then place images in the bottom or right of the package (Deng & Kahn, 2009).

Why It Works

• Bottom = Heavy. Heavy objects sink to the bottom.
• Right = Heavy. Visual canvases are conceptualized like a teeter-totter. Objects on the right seem heavier because they “pull” downward (Arnheim, 1997)

• Left = Light. Conversely, choose the left side for light products. Food seems healthier when it appears on the left (Romero & Biswas, 2016; Togawa et al., 2019).

• Arnheim, R. (1997). Visual thinking. Univeristy of California Press.
• Deng, X., & Kahn, B. E. (2009). Is your product on the right side? The “location effect” on perceived product heaviness and package evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research, 46(6), 725-738.
• Romero, M., & Biswas, D. (2016). Healthy-left, unhealthy-right: Can displaying healthy items to the left (versus right) of unhealthy items nudge healthier choices?. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(1), 103-112.
• Togawa, T., Park, J., Ishii, H., & Deng, X. (2019). A packaging visual-gustatory correspondence effect: using visual packaging design to influence flavor perception and healthy eating decisions. Journal of Retailing, 95(4), 204-218.