Britain’s self-proclaimed largest organic brand, Yeo Valley Organic, has rolled out connected packaging across all products as part of their new ‘Put Nature First’ brand platform. The move comes as brands turn to mobile to make packaging a smart asset to drive messaging and sustainability credentials.
Working with connected consumer agency SharpEnd, Yeo Valley Organic can now engage directly with their consumers through their most scalable media asset. Consumers will be able to use their smartphones to scan the ’Moo-R’ QR codes that can be found on more than 100 million products.
Linking to their popular ‘Yeokens’ reward programme – and bringing to life their ongoing nature-led initiatives – customers will have access to specific product information, brand content and future promotions. The dynamic digital experiences adjust based on the product, customer location and the time of day.
The campaign uses SharpEnd’s connected data and experience platform – io.tt – to issue, manage and measure over 100 million identities and ensure each digital experience can be enhanced as Yeo Valley’s campaign evolves. Through io.tt analytics Yeo Valley Organic can build consumer profiles and track engagement across the product portfolio.
“We’re pleased to bring our customers the next phase of experiences and rewards through this easy to use technology,” says Adrian Carne, Managing Director of Yeo Valley. “Using QR codes across our product family creates fast and seamless access to fantastic rewards and stages our content about putting nature first. We want to inspire others about the benefits of organic and how it’s one crucial factor in addressing our climate crisis. Our content will encourage everyone to put nature first in their own small way, whether that’s buying British organic dairy more often, reducing food waste or encouraging wildlife into their garden. It’s the little things that everyone can do to make a difference and that’s what we’ll be highlighting in our connected packaging.”
“We’re proud to bring Yeo Valley Organic closer than ever to their consumers,” adds Cameron Worth, Founder of SharpEnd. “Yeo Valley Organic has always been a brand we love and it’s been a pleasure to work with them on this long term initiative.”
A wider trend
The move is part of a wider and growing trend for making packaging work harder for brands. With more consumers wanting more information about products and brands and with packaging increasingly seen as wasteful, many in the industry are looking to make the packaging at least more useful, if not totally recyclable. It also is increasingly being used to offer information about the provenance and sustainability of the items therein.
For example, Finnish start-up Magic Add Ltd. has launched EXAKT, a new web-based app that provides users with enhanced product information. No more Googling or searching the fine print— EXAKT provides more relevant information than could ever fit on the packaging.
After pointing a phone camera at the code, EXAKT opens automatically without requiring any download or registration. There, the user will find clear sections where they can quickly find exactly what they want to know about the product in their hand. Not only does this eliminate room for typing errors and save consumers time by displaying critical product details, such as allergens or diet suitability, in a more standardized way. It also makes it possible to attach additional information, like recipes and tips, for a richer user experience.
“The ways consumers interact with product packaging is almost unchanged from 100 years ago. We’re still standing in the shop aisle, squinting at the side of a tin, just like our grandparents did. It’s time to leverage the internet and attach digital information to physical packaging,” says Ari Salonen, CEO of Magic Add. “At a time when people want to spend as little time in the store as possible, making product information easier to find really adds value.”
EXAKT fits with the growing trend for consumers to demand more transparency about the products they buy, such as origin and environmental footprint.
Already, organic cosmetics firm Luonkos is using the system. “We are a values-based company and there’s so much we want to communicate to our customers— the research behind the effectiveness of a new ingredient, our environmentally-friendly packaging, tutorials on how to use our products, and how our products are handmade in Naantali, Finland. EXAKT is an innovative way to link all of this easily from the packaging,” says Piritta Fors, CEO and co-founder of Luonkos.
In addition to providing users with what Magic Ad dubs “hyper-relevant product information”, EXAKT includes intuitive feedback functionality. This lets users rate content as helpful or unhelpful, and to send questions, suggestions, or notify brands directly if there is a physical problem with the product.
In return for providing consumers with more transparency and better quality information, EXAKT helps brands gain valuable, actionable data. When consumers scan EXAKT codes, anonymized data is created, such as demographics, location, and time of scan. Combining this anonymized data with consumer feedback gives brands a better understanding of what kinds of consumers are buying their products.