Get ready the Digital Evolution is Coming
Get ready the digital
revolution is coming!
On Saturday the 8th of January, I participated in
the big bang data exhibition at Somerset house in London. It was an exhibition at
which a designer and an artist helped us to understand this brave new digital
world in which we live.
The main fact that I took home from the day, was that 90% of
the world data has been created over the last two years (SINTEF 2013), I dread
to imagine what it will be like three years down the line from where we are
now.
Whether we like it or not? The smartphone, cloud, social
media and global communications, will change and affect our lives in ways we
can’t even begin to comprehend, in both social and professional aspects.
As a consumer and
professional in the packaging industry, how will these expediential speeds of
digital advancements affect us?
In simple form, advances in technology are leading to a
change in consumer engagement and striving towards creating a much more desired
Coke, through their AÎÌøshare a coke’ campaign, also similarly used
by Marmite and Nutella, have successfully used digital printing to create a personal
marketing campaign® via their packaging. According to AÎÌøThe future of digital
print for packaging to 2024′ study, the worth of this market in 2015 was valued
at £10.5 billion, this is expected to grow annually by 13.6% through to 2024 *.
The customised and personalised packaging market is a prime
example of new techniques used to engage with the customer. This is a service
that the consumer is willing to pay extra for. I must admit I fall into this
bracket, purchasing a marmite with a family members name on it. Mintel
reported, 25% of Chinese consumers say they are willing to pay more for
personalised packaging.*
Engaging with the customer is always a priority for big
brands, this priority is matched with reactive communication, never has it been
so important for a marketer to react to key events or news. That is why this demand
and digital printing packaging are a match made in heaven.
What digital printing brings to the table is better
speed-to-market, servicing the consumer a lot quicker. Allowing them to offer a
packaging experience, historically this experience used to come at a prohibitively
expensive cost.
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It is just large
brands reaping the rewards?
The answer is no, it is perfectly suited to smaller
companies producing small numbers, new start-up companies and marketing
agencies.
Digital printing, combined with the use of a CAD cutting table
can print on most materials up to the thickness of 25mm; this flexibility means
that it is possible to print on to many different materials, corrugated board,
folding cartons and even wood.
It is so appealing to smaller companies due to the small
start-up cost attached to this. There are no tooling or set up charges. Perfect
run sizes sitting between 1 to 500 in quantity. Due to these figures it is no
surprise that point of sale displays have become popular for digital printing.
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Traceability
In January 2015, the pharmaceutical industry had to start,
what is going to be a massive overhaul of their supply chains. In a new drive
to create transparency for the end consumer, they are required to exchange
traceability information and conduct investigations of suspect products, which
will include verification transaction history.
This will develop to a full-serialised manufacture process
by 2017 and final transition stage to an electronic, interoperable traceability
system at packaging level. *
The pharmaceutical and food industry are worlds apart but
can these same technological advances on traceability and increasing
transparency be also implemented in the food industry?
What can you lose?
Please feel free to contact us, let us understand your operation
and we can see where you can capitalise on this new digital world!
* https://www.smithers.com/resources/2018/oct/inkjet-printing-builds-towards-$100-billion-market
* Mintel (2016) Global Packaging Trends AÎÌøa fast forward look
at how the next generation of packaging is engaging consumer in 2016.
* https://www.fdli.org/docs/dqsa-2014/e-jungman_fdli-dqsa-2-20-14.pdf?sfvrsn=0
