Interactive Packaging is a term that has been around for a while and taken on many forms over the years.

Companies and brands will apply that label to everything from an RFID tagged package to a textured or embossed SBS box that draws the consumer in with a "special interactive" feeling or sensation when they pick the box up off the shelf.

However, there are now technologies like ScanLife, Augmented Reality and others that finally give the brand and consumer the chance to be interactive either in store or at home with smart appliances.

Additional content, coupons, promotions or unique experiences can be sent directly to the consumer and tailored directly to their individual needs and concerns right from the packaging.

As a consumer, should you have a food allergy, love of a certain food, curiosity of a products supply chain or environmental impact, desire to read product reviews from like minded consumers...etc. with the right current technology and a simple scan of the UPC or logo on a package... you can now get immediate feedback on the product you are holding.

Packaging has finally truly become interactive.

As a packaging designer or supplier, the time is now to shift our focus from just the best structure and graphic design for the product to how can we achieve those things AND create an interactive experience between the consumer and the brand.

What happens to branding and controlling the brands message from that point on, really is uncharted territory...