Supermarket giant Asda is to consult its customers directly on packaging design as part of new plans to earn long-term loyalty from shoppers.

The group's chief executive Andy Bond last week set out plans to increase transparency in the supermarket's operations that he hopes will usher in a new era of "democratic consumerism" and will build trust between the supermarket and its customers.

One key element of the plans is the ‘Chosen By You' initiative, in which customers will be consulted on every aspect of how the Asda business is run.

The scheme, which will launch in January with an existing panel of 18.000 Asda shoppers, will give consumers the chance to test products before they go in-store and comment on the product itself, the packaging and other aspects.

"They will have a big influence on purchasing decisions by being involved at the start rather than at the end," the group said.

The two other key elements of Bond's plans are ‘Your Asda', in which customers will be given the chance to see exactly how the supermarket's supply chain works, and ‘Bright Ideas', where the store is offering cash payments to customers who come up with money-saving ideas.

As part of the ‘Your Asda' scheme, a new ‘transparent' store in Gorseinon, in south Wales, will open featuring glass walls and video screens around the store that will allow customers to see what is happening in areas of the store that have traditionally been kept out of view.

Bond said that the launch of the new business model aimed to "actively involve" customers in every aspect of how Asda operates and to give them the chance to help make decisions.

He said: "Events over the past year mean that faith in big businesses is lower than it's ever been - because people have stopped trusting what's going on behind closed doors. So, from today, there is no ‘behind the scenes' at Asda."