Beatson Clark has manufactured a smaller bottle for M&S after research found consumers threw too much of the contents away.
Research for UK store M&S found customers thought the existing salad dressing bottle was too big. As a result they often threw away the unfinished product when they felt it had passed its use-by date, creating unnecessary waste.
They also wanted a bottle that would look attractive on the dinner table and offer greater control when pouring.
The bespoke, embossed 275ml dressing bottle was too large and the neck too wide, making it difficult to control the pour and portion control of some of the salad dressings.
Research group English Provender Company (EPC) and M&S asked the UK glass manufacturer's in-house design team to create a bottle which would respond to this customer feedback while also taking into account technical considerations such as line constraints and fill speeds.
The resulting 235ml container is a smaller artisan bottle with a narrower neck, which allows consumers to control the flow of dressing more easily.
“Our new dressing bottle looks small but substantial and was designed following extensive testing to make sure it fits into the average fridge door more easily than its predecessor, as well as being easier to pour from,” said Kevin Vyse, Lead Packaging Technologist at M&S.
“With its minimalist and simple design the new bottle looks very different to anything else on the market at present.
"The clear glass, which contains on average 30% recycled material, lets the consumer see the product within and gives the quality feel we were looking for.”
