Transparent Packaging for Tea: Exploring the Role of Trust in Emerging Markets for Tea Beverages

Tea beverages, which combine the health benefits of traditional tea with convenient consumption, are experiencing rapid market growth. Despite the widespread use of transparent packaging and diverse colour schemes, the influence of such packaging strategies on consumer perception and purchase intention remains poorly understood. The present research therefore aimed to investigate the impact of transparent packaging on consumers’ willingness to purchase tea beverages, as well as the underlying psychological processes, based on trust theory. Across three experimental studies, the results showed that consumers reported a higher purchase intention for tea beverages with transparent (vs. opaque) packaging (Studies 1–3), regardless of whether it was green tea or black tea (Study 2), or a well-known or lesser-known brand (Study 3). Moreover, trust mediated the relationship between transparent (vs. opaque) packaging and purchase intention (Studies 2 and 3). Furthermore, brand awareness moderated the effect of transparent (vs. opaque) packaging on trust and purchase intentions, with stronger effects observed for well-known brands as compared to lesser-known ones (Study 3). In addition, for opaque packaging, green (vs. black) tea beverages with green (vs. red) colour packaging were perceived as more trustworthy, resulting in higher purchase intentions (Studies 1 and 2). These findings identify transparent packaging as a significant marketing tool that can help to increase consumer trust while at the same time promoting positive evaluations and purchase intentions. These insights provide strategic implications for brands operating in the rapidly growing tea beverage market.