Does Touch Affect Taste? The Perceptual Transfer of Product Container Haptic Cues

We develop a conceptual framework regarding the perceptual transfer of haptic or touch-related characteristics from product containers to judgments of the prod-ucts themselves. Thus, the firmness of a cup in which water is served may affect consumers ’ judgments of the water itself. This framework predicts that not all consumers are equally affected by such nondiagnostic haptic cues. Results from four studies show that consumers high in the autotelic need for touch (general liking for haptic input) are less affected by such nondiagnostic haptic cues com-pared to consumers low in the autotelic need for touch. The research has many implications for product and package design. Does food served on a paper plate taste worse than thesame food served on a china plate? Does mineral water served in a flimsy cup taste worse than the same water served in a firmer cup? Although the paper plate and flimsy cup may be less aesthetically appealing to a consumer, ra-tionally speaking, the product containers should not affect the actual quality or taste of the products within those con-