The European Article Number (EAN) symbol has served the packaging industry well since 1977 when it was first used commercially. But times have changed, and packaging must change with it. Because packaging has a finite amount of physical space to communicate, it’s become challenging for manufacturers to comply with increasing regulation that cuts into the limited “canvas” for the design of packaging. It also slows the checkout process for retailers when either a cashier or consumer has to repeatedly scan the EAN symbol on the package to get it to work. It frustrates consumers and blunts retailers’ profits.

There is a new alternative today – the Digimarc Barcode – which appears almost imperceptibly many times on a package, making scanning much faster and opening up a whole new virtual world, full of information, coupons, and even entertainment. It represents packaging that is responsive to consumer behavior, retail experiences and cultural phenomena. It creates greater value for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers. The “Connected Package” integrates marketing with an interactive transaction in ways the EAN simply cannot. 

Schawk and Saueressig, part of the SGK Brand Solutions group of Matthews International Corporation, and trusted advisors in the deployment of brands worldwide, are certified providers of Digimarc® Barcode. The alliance provides an opportunity for brands to enhance the consumer shopping experience by improving ease and speed of scanning at checkout, creating valuable mobile engagement options in aisle and at home, and laying the foundation for numerous other valuable applications in brand management, manufacturing and logistics. 

Digimarc Barcode gives brands unique opportunities to succeed in the store by directing consumers back to retailer and brand-owned sites and providing additional product information, a growing expectation of customers tethered to their smartphones while browsing store shelves.

Retailer private brands can deliver significant increases in the speed of scanning at checkout, saving millions of dollars over the course of a year for retailers, depending on the size of the organization. At the same time, the improved checkout experience increases customer satisfaction and builds brand loyalty, a necessity in the age of online shopping and infinite customer choice. 

Digimarc Barcode, backed by Digimarc’s more than 20 years of experience as a pioneer and world leader in automatic detection of media, is almost imperceptible to the human eye but can easily be read by mobile phone cameras, tablets, POS scanners and other network interfaces. We can help you implement this revolutionary technology to immediately take advantage of new opportunities to gain a competitive edge.

For Schawk and Saueressig clients, incorporating Digimarc Barcode is now as simple as contacting their client representative to request enhanced packaging featuring Digimarc Barcode. Or, stop by the SGK booth in Hall 3, Stand B24 at the drupa trade fair in Dusseldorf May 31- June 10 to learn more about how Schawk and Saueressig can help you implement Digimarc Barcoding. Schawk and Saueressig will be exhibiting under the SGK brand banner at the event.