The Look that Sells
Five health and beauty labeling and decoration
trends to watch out for in 2018
This year will be an important one for health and
beauty labelers and decorators. With emerging label
technologies, spray packaging manufacturers can capitalize
on opportunities to improve security and even engage
customers post-sale. A shift toward Greener label materials
is an opportunity for brands to help the environment while
attracting environmentally-conscious consumers. As always,
eye-catching design remains top-of-mind as we continue into
2018.
There are five personal care, cosmetic and health labeling
trends marketers need to keep an eye on this year:
1. Greater adoption of NFC tags
Customer engagement has always been a top concern for
brands. Market research firm Mintel predicts mobile engagement
will serve
an increasingly
important role in
brand engagement
and loyalty
strategies in 2018.
At the label
level, near field
communication
(NFC) tags are a popular
way to leverage mobile engagement
for a brand. Consumers can use
their smart phones to read the NFC
tag and access promotional content
about a brand in real time from a
company’s cloud server.
Because NFC tags are so
small, they can be discretely affixed to even the smallest
health and beauty products, whether it’s a spray deodorant
or a travel-size hairspray.
The opportunities NFC labels provide for brand
engagement are virtually limitless. Ultimately, these
kinds of consumer-specific interactions can build trust
and loyalty by establishing an open and meaningful
dialogue between brand and consumer.
One example is Valmont Cosmetics, a high-end
skin care company and early adopter of NFC labeling.
A simple call-to-action on each product label directs
consumers to tap their phone to the NFC label to learn
more. The consumer is then sent to a product-specific
page containing the brand story, related offers and advice
on using the product—all of which can be tailored
to the specific consumer interacting with the label.
Valmont can track all interactions with the NFC labels,
monitor campaigns and report on their success.
Health and beauty companies can easily affix NFC tags to spray
deodorants, lotions, perfumes and practically any other product.
We expect to see more brands implementing this strategy to open
up a two-way dialogue with consumers, tell their brand story or
offer helpful advice regarding product use.
2. Expanded use of RFID labels
The anti-counterfeit cosmetic packaging market is expanding
at a healthy rate—16% from 2015 to 2020, according to
Allied Market Research. As it does, radio frequency identification
(RFID) labels are emerging as a leading solution in
the health care and beauty market, growing at a faster rate
than any other segment—an estimated 21.5% by 2020.
While they draw on the same technological principles
as NFC labels, RFID labels allow for detection at greater
distances. If an RFID label is within about 60 feet of a
reader, it can transmit encoded information such as unique,
product-level identification.
Like UPC barcodes, RFID labels are used more for
product identification than promotion. Although RFID tags
are more expensive to produce and encode, they present
distinct advantages over barcodes when it comes to inventory
management, authentication and retail loss prevention.
Radio frequencies eliminate the need for line-of-sight
identification, allowing warehouses, retailers and shipping
companies to identify and authenticate entire pallets of
packaged materials at once.
28 Spray April 2018
Marsha Frydrychowski
Director, Marketing Services,
Resource Label Group