Have you considered how much you might be spending on paid search for customer interactions that you could capture at no cost if your packaging allowed direct engagement?
Connected packaging embodies direct brand-to-consumer engagement. A customer uses their smartphone to access a product-related experience by scanning a QR code or NFC tag.
The customer goals of these product interactions are similar to those of online searches. Both are high-intent interactions. A customer wants product-related information when they have a product in hand, and they often turn to Google to fill this need - be it finding a product manual, a quick-start video, or an accessory.
If the search leads to your ad, a click might cost a few dollars. Consider that you would be paying Google top dollar to connect to your existing customers while also ceding the user data, which they will then sell to you and others. Worse, if Google steers the customer to a competitor’s ad or content, you might lose an accessory sale or even the customer.
You work to keep customers in your app or website. Why not leverage your products to keep them in your online ecosystem?
Customers like convenience
Finding a manual, a video, or an accessory is easily fulfilled through connected packaging, which can deliver a superior experience compared to a search.
When you look for a user manual with Google, you typically navigate through several pages to find one and still aren’t sure it’s the right one. Alternately, when you access a manual through a packaging touchpoint, the path is direct, and you know it’s the right manual – the product manufacturer provided it.
A simple page with direct access to popular resources is of great value to consumers. Look at the following page.
It helps customers buy, learn, review, share, or get help. Each button in this example links to multiple resources. For example, the info button can show the product manual, helpful videos, product specs, and FAQs. A different product page may include recipes, social feeds, and the product source.
Such a page is simple, but it’s packed with the exact resources a customer values. It can be a permanent resource that is easily updated. All a Brand needs to do to encourage regular product engagement is to make its customers aware of the package-linked resources and then meet the customer’s needs consistently.
Services, not ads
It’s time for connected packaging to move past campaign-oriented engagement and toward offering consistent utility and ongoing engagement. Customers will value this shift, which will deliver a wealth of product data and first-party user data to Brands.