Visually Rough Appears Healthier: The Effect of Visual Roughness in Package Design on Consumers' Food and Beverage Purchase Intention

ABSTRACT The visual roughness of packaging is widely adopted as a design strategy to promote healthy food and beverages. However, empirical evidence on its impact on consumers' health perceptions shows marked inconsistencies. Based on associative learning theory, this study examines consumer lay beliefs about the visual roughness of packaging and how and when it impacts consumer purchase intention through four studies. The findings reveal that visually rough (vs. smooth) packaging significantly enhances consumers' purchase intention, with perceived naturalness and perceived healthiness functioning as serial mediators. Moreover, the effect is moderated by the presence (vs. absence) of an organic label on the packaging and the processing levels (unprocessed vs. processed vs. ultra‐processed) of food and beverage products. Specifically, when an organic label is present or the product is unprocessed, the serial mediating effects of perceived naturalness and perceived healthiness on purchase intention become non‐significant. Notably, for ultra‐processed products, visually smooth packaging increases consumers' purchase intention. These findings contribute substantially to the literature on visual marketing and consumer health perceptions. Furthermore, this study provides practical guidance for food and beverage enterprises regarding package design.