PKN spoke to David Arkles, general manager of Zebra Technologies, about how new technology can help connect customers to your packaging.
According to Ernst & Young, over US$400 billion was spent globally on consumer packaging and materials in 2013. Packaging is big business, and more brands are discovering that in-store visibility is vital in increasing sales.
A big part of this visibility is asset information solutions, which, according to Zebra's David Arkles, can help gather much-needed intelligence on buyer behaviour, system integration and process innovation.
“Some global manufacturers believe new technology will change the way operations around packaging are managed,” Arkles says.
“These include things like two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, intelligent automation, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and radio frequency identification (RFID).
“Companies are using these technologies to develop, streamline, track and trace packages connected to a network.
"They are taking advantage of the small pools of data that can help companies make educated marketing and business decisions on-the-fly as well as keep up with demand. We call this Enterprise Asset Intelligence.”
Companies that build Enterprise Asset Intelligence, according to Arkles, are able to work faster and more accurately, and stay one step ahead of competitors in the field.
“Intelligent technology-enhanced packaging can extend the life of a product, help brands engage with consumers, trigger product messaging and help build a valuable consumer database through mobile devices.
“IoT can also help determine inefficiencies such as slowdowns and packaging defects. Manufacturers can benefit from this technology by taking proactive steps to improve everything from supply-line efficiency to proactive maintenance.”
With an increasing demand in products, there is more pressure to deliver and track them. Companies are using active packaging to allow brands to embed information that can be read by smartphones or other mobile enterprise devices.
Arkles says brands that explore new technologies will help drive a change in consumer behaviour that make interactions with packaging more common; and give consumers reasons to engage with packaging more than once.
“Packaging requirements change as consumption patterns change,” he says.
"Brands need to think smarter if they are to build consumer loyalty."
More companies will soon use new technologies to develop, streamline, track and trace packages connected to a network.
