Constantia Flexibles is developing new packaging that is eye-catching and reflects current trends. Beginning in November 2017, the packaging expert offers a comprehensive solution for interactive packaging in the food and pharmaceutical industries that opens up multiple digital communications and marketing opportunities. In doing so, the company offers to take on the printing and the implementation of the contents as well as the data management.
Constantia Interactive is a combination of digitally readable packaging material with a digital platform for data management and a smartphone app customizable to a wide range of customer needs. It offers control over the data collected, which can be provided directly to the customer.
Patients must have access to adequate information about pharmaceutical products. The Constantia Interactive app has created additional services by offering the patient direct access to additional information at any time and making it safer to take medication.
A chat bot allows patients to ask individual questions about the product that may not be easily answered by the packaging insert. The package insert itself is also accessible in a digital format through the app—if the printed version is ever lost or mislaid, patients will also have it digitally. Using the search function, the text can be combed through for a certain term or terms, and the font size and language can also be adjusted. In addition, a personal calendar function reminds users to take the individual medication and even to refill prescriptions.
In combination with a digital anti-counterfeiting identification such as a watermark or another digitally readable code, Constantia Interactive can also help identify counterfeit products.
A marketing tool to “wow” the customer
Digitalization is finding its way into all areas of our lives. A current company survey on food packaging in Germany revealed that interactive packaging makes the product itself more attractive to 49% of German consumers.
According to the survey conducted in Germany by Constantia Flexibles, 69% of those surveyed would rather buy or at least take from the shelf food with interactive packaging than a similar product without an interactive feature.
Interactive packaging also influences product brands in general. Of those surveyed, 66% consider a brand with interactive elements included in its packaging to be in step with the times.
Constantia Interactive’s digital features span from purely informative, such as instructions for use, through videos and games, to contests that can be individually selected by the customer.
Using a smartphone app developed specifically for each brand, the consumer scans the packaging for a variety of identifying features such as image analysis, digital watermark, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and the like, which then appear in augmented reality.
In this way, the application is personalized to the respective company or brand and corresponds to the respective brand design. The company itself controls what features are shown. Constantia Interactive provides a personalized marketing tool to “wow” the customer.
