SharpEnd and Vergeogne surveyed over 1,000 global brand executives. SharpEnd, in partnership with Vergeogne, has released the new Connected Experience Report, which surveyed executives from over 1,000 global brands in the beverage, healthcare and wellness, and CPG industries in the US and UK. The survey analyses why and how brands can engage consumers through connected experiences.
96% of brands surveyed believe connected packaging is critical to their marketing strategy, and 92% believe that data collected directly through these technologies is a key strategic rationale.
85% of brands are willing to pay more to integrate Near Field Communication (NFC) into their products, and 85% will increase their investment in connected products in the next 12 months.
93% of respondents will use connected packaging solutions to support their sustainability initiatives in the next two years, as they strongly believe (85%) that connected packaging helps achieve ESG goals.
The top three industries most willing to try new connected packaging are alcoholic beverages (84%), CPG (67%) and healthcare (58%), mainly concentrated in the UK. On average, 70% of respondents said they use NFC technology for their products or marketing strategies.
The alcoholic beverage industry leads in planned investment (88%) and willingness to pay for NFC solutions (90%), while the healthcare and wellness industry leads in using QR codes and NFC to obtain consumer information (60%). In terms of sustainability, consumer goods show strong support; 89% of respondents believe that connected packaging helps achieve ESG goals, and 94% of respondents believe that connected experiences are ideal for sharing sustainable initiatives.
In January 2024, SharpEnd partnered with Vertigoni, which will enable SharpEnd to develop more new products and high-performance integrated products using NFC and RFID technologies.
Consumer demand for QR codes (95%) and NFC (93%) is strong. Although QR codes are currently the most recognized technology, preference for NFC is growing. Educating brands about the uses and benefits of NFC can further drive adoption, with 85% of respondents believing suppliers could use NFC tags, but only 51% believing they are currently doing so, indicating room for growth.
While there is strong interest in using connected packaging to achieve sustainability goals, 72% of brands are concerned about being seen as "greenwashing". This highlights the importance of trusted technology for sharing product information. Common methods of promoting ESG initiatives through connected packaging include sharing product details (59%) and highlighting awards (56%).
The report also explores upcoming packaging technology and potential legislative changes. Brands expect digital triggers on packaging to become mandatory for sustainability (50%), certification (46%), ingredient and origin information (44%), and verification of product claims (42%).