For visitors to the show – retailers and brand owners from across the world – one of the biggest challenges is differentiation and shelf standout. Packaging that understands its role in attracting the shopper – and retaining the consumer – is the answer, and there were innovations aplenty at this year’s event from which to take inspiration.
On the Sun Chemical and Sun Branding Solutions stand, Augmented Reality (AR) and direct mobile marketing technologies were holding their own against the innovative ink solutions also being showcased.
But brands need to carefully consider these technologies to ensure sales success. Augmented reality – the technology by which a pack can come to life when viewed via a smartphone app – is often touted as something with huge potential. AR offers marketers new and exclusive ways of communicating dynamic content with consumers, collateral that was previously impossible on-pack. It allows brand owners to change and update content such as videos, promotions and even interactive games, all without changing the pack.
Many of the questions we heard from Interpack visitors were around whether AR apps would work in retail outlets, with concerns over wifi and coverage issues. It’s important to understand that the value of AR extends beyond the retail environment; it’s about the consumer engaging with the pack at home, while being consumed and after consumption too. What AR offers the product is an extended lifespan, as well as inroads to repeat purchases.
Great technology works best when it fits neatly into your life, and the best packaging technology is no exception. When choosing the right technology for your pack, the right answer will come from a greater understanding of how people shop for your product and engage with it once it leaves the store. Integrating different technologies at the right stages of the life cycle will undoubtedly help give a product a competitive sales edge, but what needs to come first is understanding the consumer better than ever.
Oliver King is business development director at Sun Branding Solutions. This is a personal blog and views expressed are his own.
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