The packaging world has gone QR crazy – but they’re creating complexity that makes good packaging QR code management a must
You don’t have to look long on the shelf of any store to spot a packaging QR code. They are already widely adopted in the food & beverage, wine & spirits, pharmaceutical and many other sectors. Yet as they multiply and spread, they are creating QR codes are yet another strand of data for product and packaging managers to control and businesses to track. Good packaging QR code management is becoming a must.
QR codes are creating many opportunities – but they are also adding yet more complexity to packaging design and data management…
Will CPG companies be able to keep them under control?
Packaging QR code opportunities abound
QR codes are, on the face of it, a simple and wonderful tool.
They require little effort or investment to create.
They are simple and easy for consumers to use.
Little wonder that companies have grasped them as an effortless on-pack tactic to link product information, marketing promotions and more. Innovation is rife, with some brands playing with immersive experiences such as AR games. Skittles is often cited as an innovator, having for two years running used QR codes to send fans to LGBTQ+ pages to celebrate Pride month.
Codes are unquestionably great for customer engagement: a new way for buyers to interact with packaging and producers, discover nutritional facts, or find usage instructions. QR codes offer immediate connections – a chance to bring buyers further into loyalty communities, and helping buyers make informed decisions.
The business benefits of QR codes
It is easy to see that there can be sustainability gains from diverting some information off the printed packaging to be accessed digitally.
Information available online via a quick code scan doesn’t need to be printed and included in packages, meaning less printed material and faster production. Those frustrating in-pack furniture assembly instructions may soon go the way of the dodo – and consumers will certainly approve of minimising paper waste that way.
Multi-sector applicability
There are many business reasons to use packaging QR codes.
Some sectors are ahead of others, with QR codes playing a key role for some in helping them to communicate mandatory information to customers. Wine and spirits brands must now include detailed information about ingredients, energy content, allergens and more under European regulation (EU) 2021/2117. They must display a lot on the physical label – but QR codes or other electronic labelling method can be used for the ingredient and nutritional data.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are using QR codes to offer expanded information on medications. They can enhance patient safety as well as reinforce compliance around data such as usage and side effects.
Usage is truly unlimited, which means QR codes are proliferating across most sectors. In the fashion sector, QR codes are being used as part of providing digital product passports. Logistics and supply chain businesses are integrating them into aspects of package tracking and ticketing. Hospitality famously grasped them to go ‘contactless’ during the pandemic. While they are increasingly used to help buyers validate product authenticity and quality in the clone-prone world of luxury goods.
What could possibly go wrong?
Adding extra packaging design elements adds to complexity – however easy they seem.
Perhaps the problem is that QR codes are too easy. Fast to generate, fun to work with (especially when you play with colours and custom QR code designs) and super-useful.
QR codes generated even for one product line or family will very soon multiply. QR codes are simply images, without anything in the way of identifying marks. So, how they are stored, file-named, kept up to date, and made accessible to those who need them becomes yet another way for information to become snarled up. It is too easy for wrong or out-of-date codes to be included on packaging copy.
The case for central packaging QR code management
It’s time to turn your QR codes from a potential pain point into a strategic asset.
QR codes should now be seen as a strategic element of packaging design. Now that QR codes and other digital tags are in mainstream use, it is essential that they are treated and managed alongside other key packaging information.
Managing QR codes centrally not only streamlines the creation, tracking and updating of codes. It also aids in standardisation and consistency. QR code production and use requires clear specification. There must be brand uniformity in design, functionality and placement across different products in any portfolio.
Generating them directly from within your artwork and packaging management system avoids rogue codes being created and used. You can then track not just code files but the digital information to which they point. When digital information changes, codes can be synchronised automatically. You can then also maintain better data security and compliance with control over code destinations.
With QR codes becoming a cornerstone of modern packaging, brands should treat them as part of a holistic management strategy. Managing them alongside other key packaging data not only reduces the risk of errors but also improves operational efficiency and avoids compliance issues.
4Pack is a QR code management software solution and so much more. It helps CPG and F&B brands and organisations with an evolving array of SKUs to streamline and simplify how they launch, manage, and package their products, and includes the ability to generate and manage QR codes and digital labeling.