The future of electronics in packaging

Applications and technologies are enabling a wide array of brand-enhancement tactics

-- Packaging Digest, 8/25/2009 8:21:00 AM

Electronics is already used in packaging from winking rum bottles and talking pizza boxes to aerosols that emit electrically charged insecticide that chases the bug. We even have medication that records how much is taken and when and prompts the user. Reprogrammable phone decoration has arrived. But that is just a warm up. The key enabling technology printed electronics is about to reduce costs by 99%. Consequently, many leading brand owners have recently put multidisciplinary teams onto the adoption of the new paper thin electronics on their high volume packaging. It will provide a host of consumer benefits and make competition look very tired indeed. This is mainly about modern merchandising progressing way beyond static print and dramatically better consumer propositions.

Electronic packaging addresses the need for brands to reconnect with the customer or face oblivion from copying. It addresses the graying of the population consequent need for disposable medical testers and drug delivery devices. Electronic packaging addresses the fact that one third of us have difficulty reading ever smaller instructions.

Premium pricing will arise from greatly enhanced products, thanks to packaging that leverages the function of the product and is reusable as an electronic product itself. Then there are valuable electronic tearoffs as rewards and packaging that interacts with mobile phones. Startling technical advances will be brought to bear such as invisible electronics and stretchable electronics. Indeed, energy harvesting electronics will need no battery yet be affordable on mass produced disposable products. We shall even have the delight of scrolling instructions in a large font plus spoken instructions - all in a disposable label.

A new report by Research and Markets reveals many ways in which brands can use electronic packaging to increase market share, customer satisfaction and profitability. For brand facing electronics companies that means a market of $7.7 billion by 2020, as analyzed in the report. To gain very high volume, and therefore lowest costs, by selling across all industries, basic hardware platforms such as the very low cost talking label must be developed. These are discussed. There are 250 pages and a large number of original figures and tables - over 150. These detail market forecasts, statistics for associated industries, pros and cons, technology choices and lessons of success and failure a lucid, compact analysis for the busy executive. There is much for both non-technical and technical readers, according to the company.

SOURCE: Research and Markets