Smart Packaging Gets Even Smarter

Orange has connected 25 of its products' packaging with the MYPACK app. Photo via MYPACK Connect.

Though it hasn't quite become mainstream yet, interactive packaging continues to draw attention from the packaging industry. Several examples have hit the market, incorporating technologies such as NFC, RFID, QR Codes and embedded barcodes.

While these technologies have all helped bring packaging to life, the emergence of image recognition technology could make creating interactive packaging easier for brands and improve the consumer experience.

In February, MYPACK Connect, a French company that has created an image recognition app specifically designed for packaging, announced that French telecommunications company, Orange, would be adding interactivity to the packaging of 25 of its products via the MYPACK app. Through the app, companies can upload images of its packaging, along with interactive content such as videos, photos, audio and external links, a news post via the Active & Intelligent Packaging Association, states.

Consumers using the app can access the content by taking a photo of the packaging with their mobile device. Because MYPACK is based entirely around image recognition, there is no need for added technology like NFC, RFID or QR Code.

Packaging Perspective: There’s little doubt that interactive packaging provides significant added value for both consumers and brands. But in order to fully unlock the potential that smart packaging can provide, it needs to be easy for brands to implement and consumers to access.

The type of image recognition technology MYPACK Connect provides seems to do both. For brands, being able to offer interactive packages without altering their printing methods or package designs saves both time and money. For consumers, not having to rely on the NFC capabilities of their devices, or navigate clunky QR Codes, makes accessing this specialized content a much easier endeavor.

While consumers will still need to ensure they have downloaded the image recognition app in order to interact with these connected packages, any step toward reducing the barriers inhibiting brands and consumers from accessing the value of smart packaging will help bring the technology closer to the mainstream.