At the heart of the smart packaging opportunity for label and package printing companies are radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and QR codes. These technologies can transform static packaging into connected gateways to elevate brand experiences and power inventory tracking and management tools, increasing the value of every label and package manufactured by converters.
Driving Transformative Change
Brands and their suppliers are no strangers to Walmart’s ability to bring transformative change to the packaged goods industry. After all, the retail giant ushered in a pivotal moment for eco-efficient packaging when its Sustainability Value Networks introduced Walmart’s Sustainability Scorecard to the CPG industry at the 2008 Pack Expo International.
Walmart is again serving as a catalyst in the evolution of packaging manufacturing with its latest RFID initiative. Critics might argue that this isn’t Walmart’s first foray into mandating RFID, but all feedback on and off the record heard by Packaging Impressions indicates that this push appears to be more aggressive. As Mark Potter, director of sales at Meyers, Minneapolis, Minnesota, says, “This time, Walmart is all in.”
Typically and historically comprising an RFID tag with an antenna, a microchip, and a reader that decodes the signal, RFID can drive business systems for brands and retailers. Today, these systems are even more powerful due to how the technology is being implemented.
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