• Smart packaging embeds every pack with a unique identity, allowing interaction between manufacturers, brand owners and consumers throughout the life cycle of the pack• This the first time that Dynamic QR codes for liquid food packaging are being introduced in India• India will be one of three Tetra Pak markets in the world to have unique PICCO printing technology for printing Dynamic QR Codes• Two leading F&B brands to pilot this technology over the next 2-3 months
Mumbai, November 2, 2018 : Tetra Pak, the world’s leading packaging and processing solutions provider is now taking packaging to a new level by taking Smart Packaging from a concept to reality in India. Tetra Pak provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 170 countries. With more than 24,000 employees around the world.
Indian brand owners will now have access to a complete smart packaging ecosystem built around Dynamic QR codes which allows each package to be tracked, monitored and interacted with throughout the supply chain, creating new opportunities for efficient stock management, distribution and automation. It creates new and exciting opportunities for consumer interaction too.
Tetra Pak’s digital package offer for brand owners therefore includes three components: code generation and printing on packages, a secure cloud solution for managing the data collected, and a consumer-facing front-end in the form of an app or a micro site on the internet, or both.
India is one of three Tetra Pak markets to invest in specialised PICCO printing technology for printing the Dynamic QR codes, which will be done at Tetra Pak India’s manufacturing facility at Chakan, near Pune. Tetra Pak is building the ecosystem in-house, from developing the QR codes, to designing the related apps as well as helping brands gain deeper consumer insights through analytics.
The company is now ready to pilot this technology with two leading F&B brands. The brands will be able to deploy this revolutionary technology to not just engage with consumers in a unique and personalised way, but also to understand consumption patterns and unearth deeper consumer insights. For consumers, this technology allows potential use of augmented reality, real time promotions, downloadable content and more, making it a more exciting experience.
Commenting on the launch, Ashutosh Manohar, Managing Director, Tetra Pak South Asia says, “With the rising number of smart phones and internet penetration in the country, India provides a perfect opportunity for smart packaging technology that uses dynamic QR codes. While food safety and traceability, plant productivity and consumer engagement are the most obvious benefits, this technology can be used for many other benefits like sharing information about recycling, what happens to the carton after use etc. The possibilities are endless.”
“Smart Packaging will not only make the packaging more interactive and act as a medium to create conversations. It will also allow brands to trace each package throughout its life cycle – from production, through the supply chain, all the way to the consumers, gathering valuable insights along the way, thereby making this a truly transformational technology,” he adds.
How does Smart Packaging work?
• The key to the technology is the ability to print a unique digital code on every package. In case of a Dynamic QR code, this can be scanned ordinary smartphones, allowing all kinds of innovative possibilities :
• With a supply chain that’s interlinked from end to end, brands can make traceability more transparent, sharing information with consumers right down to the farm that a particular product comes from.
• The package can be the gateway to a consumer engagement programme: a ‘scratch and win’ contest, a unique identifier for an online competition, a loyalty token or a means of creating a one-to-one channel with individual consumers.
• The information flow can be two-way, allowing producers to capture specific, valuable information about their consumers as part of the digital code interaction.
• It can even be used through the post-consumer recycling value chain by providing links to the location of the nearest recycling centre.
How are Dynamic QR codes different from Static QR codes?
Smart (Dynamic) QR Codes
• Each Dynamic QR code, and therefore each package, is unique because the landing page can be changed multiple times after the QR code has been created
• High level of personalisation is possible for each pack, and each consumer
• Can be used for different purposes during the journey of the pack. Eg. Traceability (at supply chain level), Food safety (during distribution), Consumer engagement/ validating the authenticity of the pack (once it reaches consumers), track recycling rates (post-consumer).
• Enable real-time consumer promotion, which can keep evolving while the package is on the retail shelf
Static QR Codes
• The same code is printed on all packs. The destination website URL is placed directly into the QR code and can’t be modified
• No room for personalisation
• Very little flexibility in use, once the code is generated
• Limited use for consumer promotions
