The Curiosity Current: A Market Research Podcast
Behavior Over Opinion: How to Predict Packaging Success
October 28, 2025
Every brand has a voice but few realise their loudest one sits quietly on the shelf. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie speaks with Matt Salem, SVP of Customer Success at Behaviorally and co-author of unPACKED: Predict Packaging That Sells. Matt explains how the Four-S framework: Seen, Shoppable, Seductive, Selected, helps brands design packaging that drives decisions at the shelf and online. He shares how behavioral science, real shopper observation, and AI-powered tools like PAC AI are transforming packaging into a measurable growth engine for brands that want their design to sell.
In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie speaks with Matt Salem, SVP of Customer Success at Behaviorally and co-author of unPACKED: Predict Packaging That Sells. Drawing on over two decades of behavioral research, Matt shares how packaging serves as a brand’s silent salesperson, shaping attention, emotion, and purchase decisions at the moment of choice. He introduces the Four-S Framework: Seen, Shoppable, Seductive, Selected, a behavioral model that helps brands design packaging that wins on the shelf and online. Matt explains how visibility captures attention, shoppability simplifies navigation, seduction communicates difference, and selection confirms success through real buying behavior. He also discusses PAC AI, Behaviorally’s predictive engine built on decades of human shopping data, which allows brands to test and refine designs with accuracy and speed. The conversation extends into e-commerce, where mobile-ready hero images, size cues, and optimized visuals redefine what works in digital retail. Matt highlights how post-purchase moments, from ergonomics to everyday usability, reinforce brand loyalty and repeat buying. He emphasizes the need for a shared language across research, design, and marketing teams, reminding listeners that packaging sells when powered by behavioral insight and consistent measurement.

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