Thanks to the rise of the internet our things are now more connected than ever. It’s expected that the IoT industry will grow by 18% in the next five years and the packaging looks to be the next big thing that will be transformed by the innovation. ,
Consumers are ready for change, and though normally we resist any changes to the brands we love recent studies have shown;
- 64% of UK consumers are interested in the idea of everyday objects being connected to the internet.
- 58% find the idea of a product reminding you when it is about to reach its expiry date appealing.
- 62% find the idea of a product which alerts you or reorders itself when about to run out appealing.
There has been a shift in what we expect from packaging, but the uptake is understandably a slow process. This is because almost everything needs packaging which leads to huge infrastructure challenges, of the 3.5 trillion products that are sold each year to connect each of these with data storage, cloud, and analysis software is no easy task.
The IoT and The Box Industry
Food safety has always been an industry where various checks and inspections have been paramount to the success of the market. These are in place to reduce the chance of health risks from hazards such as contamination. The IoT is upgrading this industry thanks to innovations which can test food safety during any point of the item’s journey from farm to feast.
The IoT has allowed food companies to use sensors to monitor shipping conditions, temperature, and the production environment.
What’s more, this does not just affect logistics, soon interactive packaging will be able to tell consumers further information about the food products they purchase using tech such as freshness monitors. Intelligent packaging will use big data to improve transparency and accountability in the food industry.
Packaging and moving box experts Big Brown Box say that “heavy duty boxes are the ideal cardboard boxes for moving, packing, storage and shipping” which make them great for interactive packaging.
Interactive packaging will be able to warn retailers of damaged goods, therefore enhancing the safety of the food industry – packaging will transform colour when exposed to certain temperatures/conditions as a warning to consumers.
The Cardboard Box Amazon Advancement
Since 2008 Amazon have been using FFP (frustration-free packaging), this system means that boxes are easy to open, due to the elimination of materials like steel wire ties and hard plastic clamshells.
By using technology to advance their packaging strategy, Amazon is cutting costs and time. This strategy is extremely sustainable; as the majority of packaging products they use are made from recyclable materials.
As well as using recycled materials, the brand tests all of their packages to make sure that they are well protected before they are sent to the customer. These two factors are extremely important to online customers and statistics are showing that customers would even pay more for a sustainable product. Over 80% of customers say that it is important for businesses to construct programs which are environmentally friendly.
The Importance of Advancing Technology
Where one leads, the other follows and it’s important than once innovation lands it’s adopted by others in the packaging industry. Today millennials interact with technology without a second thought. Packaging companies who fail to adopt the IoT could risk alienating their customers who have come to expect connectivity as standard.
