Amcor China has collaborated with JD Farm, which is part of China’s largest on-line retailer JD.com, to create the next generation of packaging for a more effective and interactive consumer engagement, they claim. The jointly created NFC (Near Field Communication)-enabled packaging uses state-of-the-art technology to give consumers access to information about the quality, safety and origin of JD Farm’s products.
In a report in US magazine Packaging Digest the partners see this NFC-enabled packaging as having ‘the potential to revolutionize the way customers interact with packaging’. The collaboration is customized for the JD Farm’s Sheep Fat branded millet products, enabling authentication through the JD Farm App.
Consumers can open the app and scan the NFC logo on the packaging to obtain product information at item level. With a tap on a smartphone they can check that the product has passed quality inspection controls, trace the product origin and even watch a production video. This information is obtained through track & trace via the supply chain.
Powered by IoT (The Internet of things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), blockchain and other technologies, JD Farm aims to achieve supply chain transparency with the “one item, one code” concept and deliver a “farm-to-table” experience to its consumers. According to Dr Hongwei Wang who is leading this project at JD, “The new NFC-enabled package created with Amcor is one of the ways the company drives its mission to deliver sustainable farming and at the same time meets consumers’ needs to purchase trusted agriculture products.”
Taobo Zhu, business development director at Amcor Flexibles China added, “This launch positions Amcor and JD.com as co-innovators for great consumer experiences in ecommerce and beyond. With extensive experience in smart packaging implementation coupled with strong technology solution partnerships, Amcor is leading the wave of packaging digitization and continues to innovate with sustainability and consumer needs in mind.”
As IoT penetrates consumers’ life in various forms, this packaging innovation exemplifies the intersection of ecommerce, smart packaging and digitalisation, the companies assert.