5 Brands Leveraging Smart Packaging Solutions

First off, what are smart packaging solutions?

You can read all about it here in our blog The Need for Smart and Sustainable Packaging. However in short, smart packing solutions are connected, interactive, and context-aware, meaning the information presented on a consumer’s device is usually contextual to the product in hand. Smart packaging solutions are designed to improve product quality, ensure safety, prevent counterfeiting, increase product shelf life, and, importantly, enhance ownership by providing helpful information to the consumer. 

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A definition is great, but let’s explore some brands that are leveraging smart packaging solutions in creative ways. 

1. Tell A Brand Story: Yeo Valley is using smart packaging solutions to tell their story while collecting consumer data along the way. This British brand is using QR or what they call MOO R’ codes on more than 100 million products. The code will take consumers to specific product information, brand content and future promotions. The dynamic digital experiences will adjust based on the product, customer location and the time of day.
2. A whole augmented experience: Bombay Sapphire used smart packaging to created an augmented experience with Shazam. When scanned the label revealed an animation representing the spirit and essence of the Bombay Sapphire brand. Consumer could also click to watch exclusive video content curating unique cocktail recipes.
3. Honor women owned businesses: Stacy’s created a QR Code with geotargeted Women-Owned Business Directory to help solve one of the biggest challenges of women owned businesses – being found! This smart packaging solution was beneficial to more than just their internal brand!
4. Gamification: Tetra Pak created a smart packaging solutions with the help from Appetite Creative. The goal: Saving trees with an entertaining way to learn about sustainability. The game tests the user’s knowledge about recycling and Tetra Pak’s environmental impact. The interactive quiz had two levels with five questions. The aim was to add more trees to the forest, and so, whenever the player would answer a question correctly, he or she would see a tree growing. 
5. Insider Tours: Vital Farms smart packaging solutions takes you directly to one of their farms. Consumers want to know where their food is coming from. Owner of Vital Farms, Diez Canseco says, transparency is important part of their process The company started this program to provide customers with a 360-degree look at their farms and it is an industry first!

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Now that you have some inspiration, it is time to brainstorm how your brand can leverage smart packaging solutions.

Check out our blog about Your Products Impact to begin or follow the summarized steps below.

1. Define your goal for the smart packaging solution.
   • Enhance Ownership: Give the customer something that will enhance their interaction and ownership of the product i.e. a complimentary product, how-to videos, a discount code, the list is endless!
   • Develop Trust + Loyalty: Give the customer something that increases your level of trust by stating or restating your Purpose, with a loyalty program, a money-back-guarantee, or a life-time warranty.
   • Increase Sales: Increase the number of products, services, and offerings sold with exclusives that compliment the product in hand. Just leveraging this knowledge can make your customers feel special in the process.
   • Brand Education: Educate the customer on a specific area of your business, i.e. your mission, purpose, production processes, or founding story.
   • Build Community: Encourage people to connect with the leaders of brands and other brand loyalists through social communities or forums.
2. Create the call-to-action (CTA) based on your goal.
3. Prepare your assets to align with your CTA.
4. Measure success and iterate.

If you are struggling with any of these four steps we have it all lined out for you step by step in our guide Your Product Impact. Do not hesitate to reach out to our team of experts for support as you develop smart packaging solution for your products.

We can’t wait to see what you create!

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