The final, major piece of the Active & Intelligent Packaging World Congress program for 2017 has been confirmed with the news that Thin Film Electronics (“Thinfilm”), a global leader in NFC mobile marketing and smart product solutions, will moderate the AIPIA Idea Hackathon: “How to accelerate consumer interaction with smart packaging.”
“Brands and packaging firms must prepare for a world that is both connected and highly mobile. By 2020, analysts expect 90 percent of the global population to have access to high-speed mobile data and 70 percent with access to smartphones. These mobile-first consumers instinctively reach for their smartphones to make everyday decisions and solve problems, and this means that they will expect to interact with products and packages in ways that improve the overall user experience.” said Matthew Bright, Senior Director of Product & Technical Marketing at Thinfilm.
“As packages get smarter, it is essential that brands, marketers, packaging experts, and solutions providers learn and collaborate. By developing strategies that encourage and accelerate the consumer adoption of interactive packaging, AIPIA World Congress participants are leading the way toward a more connected future, ” he explained.
The Idea Hackathon will address how consumers can be encouraged to interact with ‘on pack’ intelligent tags to access information and mobile experiences that can raise purchase intent and encourage ongoing product loyalty. Participants will consider how technology specialists like Thinfilm can work with packaging converters, designers, and agencies to maximize the potential for digital interactivity triggered by item-level smart tags.
Participants will discuss technologies, such as Near Field Communication (NFC), a leading option for item-level tagging, which will soon be supported on all major smartphone operating systems, including Android, Windows, and Apple’s iOS. This broad platform-level support creates cross-platform smart packaging opportunities that can reach well over a billion smartphone users worldwide.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows in size and scope, analysts forecast over 30 billion connected objects by 2020 and further growth beyond 75 billion by 2025. The IoT, including active and intelligent packages, is expected to make significant contributions to the global economy: The overall IoT market is projected to be worth more than one billion US dollars annually from 2017 onwards,
“There has never been a better moment for the industry to talk about this subject,” commented Eef de Ferrante, executive director of AIPIA. “So much is happening so fast that we need to have a clear plan to ensure consumers understand the potential of their smartphones, how to connect with products and how packaging can play a significant role in this connected world. As one of the leaders in this technology we are delighted that Thinfilm will moderate the Idea Hackathon,” he added.
