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Heineken’s Strongbow cider has become the first major alcohol brand to incorporate NaviLens technology, designed to support visually impaired people, into its packaging.

Strongbow’s cider products now feature a NaviLens QR code – a high-contrast, smartphone-readable marker designed to help blind and partially sighted consumers find, understand and engage with the product.

The code links to the NaviLens app, which shares key details such as ingredients and ABV, alongside brand content and store navigation.

The initiative forms part of Strongbow’s partnership with inclusive marketing agency Purple Goat, part of WPP Media, to assess the accessibility of its drinks in line with its ambition to become ‘the world’s most inclusive cider brand’.

Purple Goat led research into how Strongbow’s packaging is experienced by blind and visually impaired consumers, drawing on feedback to identify real-world barriers and help shape a more accessible approach to packaging for these communities.

Research shows that 90% of disabled consumers face accessibility issues when shopping, and according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People, nine in ten people with sight loss find information packaging difficult or impossible to read.

Dom Hyams, global client director at Purple Goat, said: “Inclusive branding goes beyond aesthetics – it’s about ensuring everyone feels represented, valued and engaged as customers”.

He added: “There is a huge opportunity for brands to connect with what is often an untapped customer base by simply thinking through an accessible and inclusive lens from the outset. True brand strength comes from understanding all customers' needs and naturally a product and brand experience that creates loyalty, connection and, with it, commercial growth.”

NaviLens is currently used in UK public transport and by some brands across the F&B industry, though its use still is not widespread in FMCG.

Other food and beverage brands to incorporate NaviLens technology into their packaging include Müller and Kellogg Company.