Innovation Unwrapped: 9 Clever Interactive Packaging Ideas

The landscape of interactive packaging is ever-growing, along with the dynamic experiences that come with it.

From featuring changing illustrations and hidden messages to incorporating different scents and textures, the evolution of packaging has been exciting. 

And thanks to smart and tech-savvy solutions like QR codes, more opportunities to transform conventional packaging are at the forefront.

Give people a peek into your brand personality by upgrading your packaging game. In this article, we’ll show you how to make your packaging creative and functional.

You’ll also learn how to use a QR code generator to create QR codes for your packaging.

What is interactive packaging?

A lot of packaging nowadays is designed to integrate technology and features that stimulate or “entertain” consumers. 

The goal is to make packaging a more enhanced and dynamic experience and keep people interested.

How to make your digital packaging more engaging

Grab consumers’ attention by boosting your brand recognition. Making packaging interactive can be an intriguing addition to your marketing plan.

Here are some creative ideas to get you started: 

Tell a story 

Story-driven packaging is among the top product packaging trends for 2024. 

A good story is one surefire way to get people’s attention. It can spark people’s curiosity and get them hooked.

Create a narrative either loosely or closely based on your brand. Have it short and sweet, engaging enough to keep people’s attention. 

You can use interactive labels to tell your short story. When a label unfolds, so does a story segment. This will thrillingly present the story as consumers must actively interact with the packaging’s flaps or labels to access the next chapters.

Show video messages

This says a lot about where customer priorities lie. As important as product quality is, the value of connection ranks higher.

Show your appreciation to customers by making a video QR code and connecting with them.

Create a personalized video message from a company spokesperson, then convert it into a scannable QR code.

You can also explain your brand’s origins and core values and give insights that aren’t already well-known or publicized. 

Curate playlists or podcasts

The beauty of music transcends language and industry. Whether or not your product is related to entertainment, including an auditory dimension undoubtedly spices things up. 

Shops like Scandle elevate customer sensory experience by infusing a curated Spotify playlist onto their candle labels, meant for you to play whenever you light your candle.

Any brand can achieve this by using a URL QR code to link to original podcast episodes and songs encompassing a brand’s atmosphere. 

Make games 

Gamification as a marketing strategy works. The attractive designs can be challenging or relaxing, taking customers elsewhere for a while.

This is a trickier one to get right. Your game needs to combine the design elements that make it worth playing and a decent understanding of consumer behavior to know how your game will help you meet your business goals. 

Once you find this balance, you can make your brand packaging functional, imaginative, and engaging. 

You can go simple with interactive puzzles on the packaging where consumers solve them for a message. 

Or you can work with artists, a QR code generator, and gamification platforms like Drimify that have a ton of different solutions like classic games, personalized games, and more.

You can then take customers to your customized games via QR codes. 

Give product information

Help customers easily find information about your product. On packages, put QR codes that lead to video tutorials or step-by-step guides on how to get the best use out of your product. 

Subscription box business models have the special advantage of customizing QR codes for each item in the box.

Take Book of the Month as an example. This book-ish monthly subscription box can use QR codes to provide their readers with author messages, themed recommendations, and artists’ social media on art prints.

Behind-the-scenes content 

Whenever something interests people, they want to know everything about it.

Indulge loyal consumers with snapshots of what it’s like from the beginning of production to the final product. 

This humanizes your brand and promotes transparency. Sharing honest glimpses with your audience helps build trust and fosters a more open relationship.

Takeout and delivery businesses, for instance, can add QR codes on food containers that lead people to videos of the chefs behind their delicious meals. 

Many industries apply new and creative uses of QR codes to improve their strategies and operations. Upgrading your packaging is one of many ways to take advantage of them. 

Infuse scents and textures 

What better way to make your packaging stand out than by capturing the senses?

Apply scratch and sniff labels on skincare, beauty, or other products with specific scents. 

Or design your modern packaging with holographic, soft, or raised text elements that create visual and tactile interest. 

Connect on social media

Encourage customers to share their thoughts about your product by connecting your brand’s social platforms using QR codes made with a QR code generator. 

A QR code for social media makes it easier to have all your platforms on one landing page. 

This also creates a sense of community and enhances brand visibility. Not to mention the free promotion you can get from genuine positive consumer reactions. 

What are the benefits of interactive packaging?

Why should you start leveling up your packaging efforts? Check out these advantages brought by these interactive wrappers and labels:

Engagement and sales

This new packaging innovation goes beyond the basic function of traditional packaging. You can still protect your product while making its first impression memorable for consumers. 

Marketers have long used interactive elements in packaging to increase sales. Consumers get drawn in by eye-catching designs or stories that connect them with the brand on a deeper level. 

Brand awareness and recall

When packaging stands out, people are more likely to remember it and your brand. As long as you find new ways to make your product stick in people’s minds, attention to your brand will rise. 

Users sharing their unique experiences with your engaging packaging on social media also increases brand exposure.  

Sustainability

Smart packaging methods like QR codes can specifically target sustainability goals. It reduces waste by limiting printed materials used in physical packaging. It also doubles as a useful data-tracking tool.

Interactive elements encouraging reuse are another great way to promote sustainability. This might look like hidden compartments with multiple purposes which can extend a packaging’s lifespan. 

Transparency and added value

Interactive packaging presents an impressive opportunity to give consumers full transparency and added value. QR codes can link to detailed information about your product, exclusive content, and discounts. 

You can also give consumers the ability to trace a product’s journey across the supply chain and share your packaging’s carbon footprint. 

Convenience

Some interactive packaging streamlines processes, such as integrating NFC chips and QR codes to offer consumers contactless payments.  

Packaging can be more accessible to a wider audience by providing QR codes with product information in multiple languages. This provides consumers with easy access to all the information they might need.

QR codes: The next big thing in the CPG industry

Consumer packaged goods (CPGs) refer to merchandise often used and replaced frequently. 

And with creativity being a big player in driving sales, the CPG industry sees more value in providing consumers with more interactive experiences through its packaging.

Here is where QR codes enter. Though seemingly small, they can take users to a multitude of interactive content in the online, digital realm.

Customer feedback forms, landing pages with mini-games or discount codes, or visual media like videos or images—these are only a few of the possible things brands can embed on QR codes in their product labels.

A 2021 Insider Intelligence report revealed that US smartphone users scanning a QR code will increase from 83.4 million in 2022 to 99.5 million in 2025.

Meanwhile, a 2021 Statista US survey shows that 45% of respondents scanned QR codes to access marketing offers.

QR codes grow more popular as the number of people scanning them increases. And naturally, brands must hop on this trend to boost their marketing strategies.

And here’s more: a QR code will replace barcode scanning by 2027 completely. The rising relevance of product information shows the necessity of this change. 

With more people owning smartphones, scanning QR codes is a convenient smart solution to accessibility issues and a versatile marketing tool for CPGs.  

Overall, QR codes represent a significant shift in brand-consumer interactions and are definitely here to stay.

How do QR codes make packaging interactive?

Provide instant access to information

QR codes promote digital packaging, creating an air of surprise and acting as pathways to digital platforms, creative activities, and exclusive discounts—all of which increase sales and boost your brand.

A simple QR code scan transports consumers from the physical material to the digital realm, where a limitless pool of information and engagement opportunities await.

Create personalized experiences

QR codes are an easy way to store information of different types, such as URLs, images, videos, documents, custom landing pages, and more. 

In the case of modern packaging, scanning a QR code might lead you to your brand’s online store, product information, or usage ideas. This makes marketing your brand a more exciting and personal experience for consumers. 

Curate a digital journey designed to capture your target audience’s imagination. 

Offer exclusive promotions

Everyone loves a discount. Well, who doesn’t? It is usually the best way to convince customers to spend their money.

You can add QR codes to your interactive packaging to reward customer loyalty. These codes can direct them to discount coupons and free delivery vouchers. 

Add instructions and behind-the-scenes content

Online manuals conveniently take away the cost of printing them. They are inexpensive and convenient since you can easily fix errors or update the guides. 

Replace printed manuals with dynamic QR codes and link consumers to online digital instructions. The advantage of these codes is you can change the embedded data even after generating and deploying your QR code.

And while we’re at it, don’t just stick to user guides. You can also use these QR codes to share content your customers will love, such as videos showing the product’s manufacturing process.

Collect customer feedback and show ratings 

QR codes on digital packaging can facilitate a smooth feedback process for customers. They only have to scan the code and fill out a digital form to leave their review and suggestions.

These can also direct potential customers to your reviews and ratings page. This fulfills peoples’ need for social proof to make an informed decision about what they should and shouldn’t buy. 

Global brands making leaps with QR codes on their creative packaging

Check out how some of today’s biggest CPG brands across various industries use QR codes in new and imaginative ways:

The Hershey Company

Hershey’s made their Kisses much sweeter with QR TIGER’s dynamic QR code solutions.

The Hersheys QR code attached to the Kisses packaging redirects to a record-and-receive system, allowing consumers to send heartfelt messages and a chocolate treat to loved ones.

One QR code directs users to a landing page where they can record a message immediately or upload videos from their device. Once saved, they can give their Kisses to their recipient. 

When users flip over the “record” QR code, it reveals a second QR code underneath that the recipient can scan to “receive” the sweet video gift.

With this wise use of QR codes on their packaging, people can put something special into a simple gift. The recipients can watch the short video while enjoying the delectable chocolatey treat.

Coca-Cola 

In an effort to promote the überpopular UEFA’s EURO 2012, Coca-Cola used a dynamic QR code generator on millions of their packages all over Spain.

The QR codes connected customers to Coca-Cola’s online community, ‘SmileWorld,’ where they can access exclusive videos about the competition and brand initiatives.

With this campaign, Coca-Cola established its identity as a company of innovation, featuring advanced technology as a means of interacting with consumers. 

Friso

The contents of formula milk can be a little too ambiguous for new parents, so the high-quality milk brand Friso devised a way to put their minds at ease. 

They placed QR codes on product packaging to offer parents transparency. This way, the production, quality, and journey of every tin of Friso milk became traceable. 

Including information like farm quality and transportation sets up Friso as a brand that sets strict measures for quality control. This initiative proves its commitment to assuring that parents’ little ones receive only the best. 

How to create a QR code for your product’s packaging with a QR code generator 

Make your packaging more fun with QR TIGER, the world’s easiest-to-use and most reliable QR code software.

Here are five simple steps to make a custom QR code for your interactive packaging needs:

1. Go to QR TIGER and log into your account.

Tip: If you don’t have one yet, you can sign up for freemium and enjoy three dynamic QR codes for free, each with a 500-scan limit.

2. Select a QR code solution and enter the needed information or upload the file you want to embed.
3. Select between Static QR and Dynamic QR. Click Generate QR code. 

Tip: Use dynamic QR codes to enjoy advanced features like data editing and scan tracking.

4. Customize your QR code to your liking. You may include your logo, use frame templates, or use an abundance of other customization features. 
5. Test-scan your QR code to see if it works. To save, click Download. 

Using a QR code generator is the future of interactive consumer experiences

Packaging now offers instant access to information, provides personalized experiences, and connects brands to a wider audience.

And opening doors for inclusivity means considering cultural differences and breaking language barriers with packaging that speaks to everyone. 

With the new wave of innovative packaging, companies can use QR codes to stay ahead. You can choose QR TIGER QR Code Generator for the best QR code solutions and the most advanced features. 

Frequently asked questions

Can a QR code be interactive?

Yes, QR codes can facilitate diverse user interactions, such as playing videos, linking to games, collecting customer feedback, and more when scanned. 

Can you put a QR code on a package? 

Yes. QR codes are often used in packaging to give consumers instant access to information related to a product or brand. 

Other times, they serve as a portal to a brand’s social media platforms, customer feedback forms, and more. 

How do I create a QR code for modern packaging?

Go to a reliable QR code software, such as QR TIGER. Choose the QR code type of content you want to use, enter the information needed, and generate your unique QR code. 

You can save your QR code and integrate it into your packaging. Make sure to place it somewhere noticeable and large enough to scan.