Smart packaging – the packaging solution of the future

Sensors that have been integrated into packaging can detect possible interruptions in the cold chain, react to unexpected opening and protect against product piracy. At the same time, they also offer numerous opportunities to increase consumer convenience and with it, customer loyalty. Thanks to RFID technology, consumers can obtain further information on the packaging and its contents, which in turn gives them a sense of comfort and security.  For example in the field of pharmaceuticals. In this area, electronic paper displays on digital folding boxes can help minimise dosage errors. Special printing colours or holograms protect against manipulation. And the beverage industry is increasingly banking on extended packaging, which allows customers to use smartphone apps to access additional information in real time, at any time.

INTELLIGENT BEVERAGE PACKAGING

According to Indian market research company Mordor Intelligence, the global market for intelligent packaging is expected to grow by 4.2 percent to around 44 billion US dollars by 2024. Besides adding value for customers, for example by using changes in the packaging’s colour to indicate a food’s pH values, temperature and freshness, RFID identification is increasingly being used by companies within the food and beverages sector, as this identification allows products to be tracked.

Smart packaging with integrated augmented reality applications takes users to a whole other dimension. CCL’s connected packaging is just one system that uses the latest technological developments. The CCL product label uses cloud-based technology as well as 360° videos and games to merge virtual and actual reality in the blink of an eye. This presents a great way to playfully integrate additional information into the product’s packaging, such as campaign promotions and competitions as well as videos showing a food or beverage’s origins and production. Today, additional applications like these often don't even require additional markers, such as QR codes. Instead, the camera installed in the smart device is all it takes to obtain additional information in real time via the sensors integrated in the packaging.

AR location technology is key for Third Aurora, an Australian-American start-up company for AR and AI applications. This technology allows companies to tailor AR marketing measures to regional as well as individual needs.  Thanks to the combination of augmented reality and artificial intelligence applications, European consumers using their smart devices to scan a bottle of wine in China, for example, do not receive information on the wine in Chinese but in their native language.

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Budweiser was met with storms of applause. The company embedded noise-sensitive LED lights in their beer cups. The louder the fans were, the more brightly the cups lit up.