First of all, Ali Danison believes that consumer participation is the key to shelf connection. Modern consumers prefer minimalist packaging and clean, clear and transparent labels. Consumers'shopping experience has also changed, and more and more people are living their daily life during the journey. In today's society, small packages and dining out have become people's habits, packaging must follow the trend.

 

Of course, digital experience must also simulate real life. Jay Wittmann said: "People want to have the same shopping experience as online shopping in physical stores. When stores realize that they have to compete with Amazon in some way, the online experience is changing quietly, becoming easier to operate and faster to deliver.

 

Labels and packaging must somehow enhance the consumer experience, which requires the use of NFC and RFID technology. According to Noll, 87% of consumers in the United States "experience more" by buying tickets for leisure and recreational activities, and 52% of tourists tried some new experience on vacation last year. Delta Airlines has responded to these trends by embedding RFID technology in baggage tags. At present, about 7% of Delta Airlines'baggage tags use RFID technology. With more and more airlines joining, the result may be billions more RFID tags every year.

 

Noll emphasized that packaging must be linked to consumers. 77% of Americans own smartphones, so brands can reach a large number of customers through shelves. At this time, smart tags can not only play a role, but also, according to the survey, consumers often use mobile phones to buy goods and complete online questionnaires.

 

"For brands, it's important to understand how people shop and interact with traditional physical stores." Noll said. In the United States, nearly a third of online shopping will eventually be returned to a physical store, while for clothing, the figure is close to 40%. About 50% of consumers buy the goods online and receive them in physical stores, which opens up a way for physical stores to sell more goods. Macy's noticed that consumers would buy more goods when they came to the store to collect them, boosting sales by 7%.

 

By 2019, global e-commerce is expected to grow by 21%, reaching a market size of $560 billion. In the United States alone, 14 billion packages were shipped in 2018, and 40% of online shoppers said they chose online shopping because it was easier and faster.

 

"Shopping is done every few months, not every few years." Noll said: "People are no longer willing to wait five days to receive a package for free. Now people have only three days of patience."

 

It is estimated that by 2020, more than one-third of U.S. goods will be sold online. RFID tags can improve consumer experience in many ways. For example, stores can have better inventory management to ensure that when customers pick up goods, there must be inventory.

 

As more and more small commodities begin to be sold online, packaging will continue to play a key role in sales. "Freshness drives packaging," Noll said. "Consumers want to see new and fresh products. At the same time, takeout lunch boxes also bring new opportunities for tag tracking. In the first half of 2018 alone, 9% of Americans ordered takeout.

 

Smart packaging is also growing in other areas, such as pharmaceuticals and nutrients. In nutritional food, dietary supplements and functional foods are the fastest growing part, with an annual compound growth rate of 8%. It is expected to reach the market scale of 119 billion US dollars by 2023 and 490 billion US dollars for pharmaceuticals.

 

Noll said: Intelligent packaging is seen as a driving force in the pharmaceutical industry, especially its tracking and tracking capabilities. In the automotive sector, RFID tags will be worth more than $1 billion in 2016. By 2025, the car market is expected to grow by 40%. According to Ali Danison's statistics, the global RFID tag and inlay market is expected to reach 24 billion US dollars in 2023, involving pharmaceutical, medical devices, retail, manufacturing, transportation and other markets. In North America, UHF RFID technology is expected to catch up with Europe in the next few years.

 

Originally titled: Ali Danison hosted the Intelligent Label Processing Business School event to reveal the impact of new technologies on labels and packaging

(Source: LABELS & LABELING)