With their smart devices helping to manage daily tasks, today's digitally connected consumers are transforming the role of packaging, reports an article in Packaging Technology Today authored by Moira Stein, Insights & Strategy Consultant at Berlin Packaging.
Stein identified four areas — smartphone connectivity, augmented & virtual reality, intelligent packaging, and authentication — where digitalization is altering how consumers interact with packaged products.
Consumers are always connected, spending more time online and using their phones to purchase products and learn more about the brands they buy, explained Stein. “Smart packaging solutions — like quick response (QR) codes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and near-field communication (NFC) tags — can form a bridge between physical and digital realities. After scanning a code on the pack, shoppers are redirected to a brand's website, where they can view product tutorials, browse other products, read reviews, discover ingredient information, find out about a company's social or environmental initiatives, and more,” noted Stein.
“Virtual and augmented reality applications can create multi-dimensional text, graphics, videos, and animation to bring a label to life and engage consumers in a unique and memorable way,” said Stein. The gamification trend is also influencing package design, with brands adding links to video games on their packaging, remarked Stein.
“Intelligent packaging can inform consumers about the state of a product or its environment through technologies directly in the package. Companies use freshness sensors, temperature indicators, NFC technology, RFID tags, and other innovations to ensure freshness, track purchases, monitor inventory, and more,” stated Stein.
“New digital tools can help consumers authenticate luxury cosmetics, fragrances, and other high-priced products,” reported Stein. For example, glass packaging producer Gerresheimer has partnered with TruTag Technologies to offer a secure digitization solution for cosmetic brands. The solution uses invisible microparticles that can be detected and decoded by a smartphone directly on the products.