Kraft Heinz is using smart packaging that has NFC built into it. Source: Shutterstock

Kraft Heinz is using smart packaging that has NFC built into it. Source: Shutterstock

How Kraft Heinz uses NFC-based smart packaging to boost engagement

BRANDS want to get closer to their customers today, and they want to do it anywhere and everywhere they can.

Kraft Heinz is one brand that is using nearfield communication (NFC) technology-powered smart packaging to engage and interact with customers, even before a product is sold, right inside the store.

The multi-billion-dollar consumer packaged goods (CPG) company signed up with TPG Rewards to create the smart package.

This is how it works: A customer walks into a store (Walmart, for example), picks up a pack of Kraft Cheese Singles, and uses NFC to visit a designated web page where they can fill in their details and participate in a contest, and also gain access to recipes, coupons, and other rewards.

The interactive touchpoint helps Kraft Heinz collect important customer data such as name, state of residence, date of birth, and even email, all of which feed into the company’s CRM and enable future interactions.

In a world where customers are always on their mobile devices and always looking for new and exciting opportunities to engage with products and brands, the NFC-powered smart package is an exciting idea.

Truth be told, this isn’t the first time that Kraft Heinz has used NFC. The company used the technology back in 2017 in another project and found that it delivered 12 times more engagement as compared to QR codes.

Back in 2017, the project involved smart shelves that opened up advisory assistants on smartphones instead of providing a gateway through product packaging — but the results are sure to repeat as NFC technology has only become more popularity (and common) in the past two years.

An interesting thing to note in the new smart packaging use case is that Kraft Heinz chose to go with popping up web pages rather than asking customers to download apps. That’s a great move in a world where apps live short lives, with many customers growing wary of the data an app collects and sends back to its developers.

Other brands looking to create better engagement with customers should definitely explore smart packaging.

In fact, companies that are working on blockchain projects that improve transparency and provide more information to customers about the origin of their products are already thinking about smart packaging solutions — the choice they need to make is whether they should go with QR codes or NFC.

The reality is that NFC-based smart packaging is just another gateway to the customer. Doing it well means delighting customers, but attention must be paid during the implementation as failing to provide a good experience could turn away customers right at the point of sale.