The Power of Transparency

Today’s consumers favor greater transparency when it comes to the food and beverage products they purchase, seeking details about a product’s ingredients as well as their source, a brand’s manufacturing practices and a slew of other information. A recent Response Media study ranked the overall importance of product transparency to consumers at 99% for fresh food and 98% for packaged foods. The same study also highlighted that 70% of consumers are always, or often, influenced by the product transparency content when making a purchasing decision. 

To have the greatest impact on consumers’ purchasing behavior, and to stand out from the competition, brands must consciously develop and communicate meaningful transparency content to consumers when and where they want it. Recent advances in metal packaging technology have created new opportunities for brand owners to meet this consumer demand. For example, by tapping into the Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR), brands can create unique experiences and build connections – and trust – with consumers. A recent advancement in this area from Crown as part of the CrownConnect™ portfolio is its SeeThrough™ interactive technology,  that uses the graphics on a tin as an interface and leverages AR to let users see right past the packaging to the contents inside. 

The bottom line is that transparency is no longer an option for brands, it is a necessity, especially as consumers have access to an unprecedented amount of information via their smartphones and tablets. To be truly transparent in consumers’ eyes, brands must go beyond sharing information about the origin of ingredients or the recyclability of packaging and delve into the age-old five w’s – who, what, when, where and why. Metal packaging can offer brands a vehicle to deliver transparency in the literal and figurative sense, helping food and beverage manufacturers stay ahead of the curve.