In the age of smart tech being used in everything from your phone to your food, it comes as no surprise that most industries are trying to incorporate intelligent methods in all their practices. The packaging industry too, jumps on the bandwagon with an impressive list of packaging methods called smart or electronically enabled packaging.
Smart packaging goes beyond the use of simple packaging materials combined with traditional printed features of graphics and barcodes. Smart packaging is a packaging system that is capable of carrying out intelligent functions (such as detecting, sensing, recording, tracing, communicating, and applying scientific logic) to facilitate decision making to extend shelf life, enhance safety, improve quality, provide information, and warn about possible problems.
Responsive features are one of the most important aspects of smart packaging and present many opportunities to enhance the consumer/packaging interface.
As consumer products proliferate and diversify, brand managers are faced with the challenge to make their products stand out to the end users. Engaging with end-users senses, to inspire, educate and entertain them form the key to success in the continuous battle for the consumer’s attention.
Manufacturers now have the ability to communicate additional product information to potential buyers through their smartphones, using technology such as 2D bar codes on their packaging and in advertisements. Some of the technology available is also able to deliver analytics about consumer behavior and demographics back to the manufacturer. Exciting. Interactive. Fun.
We predict that the food, beverage and pharma industries will be embracing this trend with a passion.
