Tech studio Appetite Creative, which specialises in connected packaging, has signed a deal that will enable it to help brands design and build consumer experiences using advanced QR codes that allow retail checkout, supply chain tracking, and consumer web access.
The move is a result of the company joining the GS1 US Solution Partner Program, which brings together tech and service providers, that help businesses correctly implement GS1 Standards globally, to create a common foundation for business, including standardisation for barcodes and product data.
Appetite Creative will now offer GS1-standard QR codes, delivering a range of information and experiences. From recipes and games to customer feedback and stock management, one QR code will work for both the retailer and consumer.
The studio will also share its connected packaging research and case studies with the GS1 US community, starting with its upcoming sixth annual Global Connected Packaging Survey report.
Appetite Creative creates web-based experiences that open when a shopper scans a code on pack, with no app download needed. It has delivered campaigns for brands including Tetra Pak, Danone, Pepsi and Coca-Cola across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.
Its recent connected packaging campaign for Danone’s Alpro achieved a 14% scan rate, compared with around 0.1% for traditional digital ads, with visitors spending more than four minutes on average in the experience.
The partnership comes as the retail industry prepares for Sunrise 2027, the industry goal for store checkout scanners in the US and Europe to read 2D barcodes, such as QR codes, instead of relying on traditional linear barcodes.
Offering more capabilities than barcodes, when the QR code on a pack follows GS1 Digital Link, it can be scanned at the checkout, carry product and traceability data, and open a brand experience on the consumer’s phone.
Appetite Creative managing director Jenny Stanley (pictured) said: “The on-pack QR code is about to become one of the most valuable media spaces a brand owns, because it’s on every product and in every customer’s hand.
“GS1 standards make that code work at the checkout and across the supply chain. Our job is to make it worth scanning so brands can have direct conversations with customers, and now through the GS1 US Solution Partner Program they will have access to our expertise and experience. With Sunrise 2027, one code can do it all, for the checkout and for the consumer.”
GS1 US director of partnerships Thomas Francis added: “Appetite Creative brings a rare combination of creative expertise and deep knowledge of GS1 standards and this partnership builds on their existing work across the GS1 network.
“As brands move to 2D barcodes, partners who can show and benefit from the consumer value of GS1 Digital Link will help the whole industry adopt and evolve faster.”
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