Luxe Pack Monaco: Toppan Digital explores new dimensions of connected beauty packaging

11 Sep 2024 --- Toppan Digital will participate in Luxe Pack Monaco 2024 later this month. The trade fair centers on luxury packaging and the Japanese smart packaging specialist will draw attention to the growing popularity of connected beauty packaging that creates customer touchpoints for brand storytelling. 

The Toppan booth will feature a lineup of cloud-based digital solutions that let consumer smartphones scan ID devices embedded into individual products, enabling product information sharing, verification of authenticity, product promotions and a range of other services.

Toppan Digital has been part of every Luxe Pack Monaco trade show since 2019, showcasing its high-security NFC tags (authenticity verification/opening detection) and solutions based on its ID authentication platform and other technologies.

“The cosmetics sector is seeing intense competition due to the entry of new brands and players from other industries. This is prompting an even greater need for companies to create unique brand stories and value to drive differentiation,” highlights Toppan Digital. 

NFC tags in beauty design

Innova Market Insights data underscores the marketplace’s increasing connectivity, where packaging is increasingly seen as a valuable platform for digital engagement. Technologies like QR codes, NFC (near-field communication) tags and augmented reality have begun to emerge in recent years, blending the physical and digital consumer realms.

Toppan Digital has developed NFC tags embedded with LEDs that light up when a smartphone is held up to it. In a beauty application, tags can be integrated into containers such as the mirror sections of compacts or vanity boxes, with the LEDs lighting up when the consumer holds their smartphone up to the tag. 

“In addition to giving containers a high-quality look, it can also drive differentiation by providing a new experience to consumers,” highlights Toppan Digital.

When a consumer with a mobile device interacts with an NFC tag on a product, video content plays on the screen, creating an experience of the world and brand story.

“The inclusion of product information in the video makes it possible to communicate the details of the product to the consumer there and then, meaning that fewer staff are needed to give explanations in stores,” explains Toppan Digital.

Because the number of times customers pick up products can be recorded as data, specific measures can be devised for products picked up frequently.

Enhancing smart security

Toppan Digital highlights product security can be enhanced while maintaining its design quality by integrating NFC tags into the structure of paper-based packages.

An opening detection function incorporated into the NFC tag makes it possible to inform consumers of whether a package has been opened or not.

The data collected can be used to facilitate supply chain management, such as traceability and monitoring gray market activities.

Earlier this month, Appetite Creative launched a book on how connected packaging technologies can benefit industry leaders. Authored by the company’s managing director, Jenny Stanley, the book is intended to offer fresh perspectives on the evolving sector, its history and future opportunities.

In the food sector, Unilever partnered with accessibility app specialist Be My Eyes, expanding the use of on-pack Accessible QR (AQR) to provide AI-assisted cooking experiences for shoppers who are blind or have low vision.

By Benjamin Ferrer