All Pernod Ricard-owned brands will launch ‘connected’ QR-coded bottles “in the coming weeks”, the group’s CEO Alexandre Ricard has said at a roundtable.
The transition to the anti-counterfeit ‘connected’ bottles is “in process”, according to Pernod Ricard’s CEO Alexandre Ricard
The transition to the anti-counterfeit ‘connected’ bottles is “in process” and is being rolled out “market by market”. Developed in-house, the company’s proprietary QR code Puma device is already available in China.
Traceability is “critical” to consumers in terms of supply chain tracking, Ricard said, adding that “being able to trace a bottle and make sure it is a true authentic product is important, especially in some emerging markets where you have counterfeit issues”.
Connected bottles and QR codes are “a big competitive advantage” for big players in the drinks industry in the battle against counterfeiters, and provide a “modern” platform for accessing detailed nutritional content, he continued.
“If you scan the product you have better access via your smart device to information you require, versus trying to read it on a back label where the nutritional information is not regulatory driven,” said Ricard.
“There’s a lot of other information which is purely legalistic, and in some cases I’m not sure it’s fully understandable. We believe that in today’s world it’s better to inform consumers via their connected devices – it’s as simple as that.”
Pernod’s coconut-flavoured rum brand, Malibu, was one of the first to benefit, rolling out 45,000 near field communication (NFC) enabled bottles last summer to provide a “direct, digital touch point for consumers”.
When it comes to implementing the technology, Ricard said: “All of our brands already have websites with a lot of information. What you can expect is that information to become more detailed and interesting and insightful as we enrich the content.”
In December 2015, Mathieu Prot, group intellectual property director at Pernod Ricard, called technologies such as Puma “very versatile” tools that help tackle the “big reality” of counterfeit spirits.
Hometainment
Ricard also highlighted the growing demand for experiential activity in the spirits industry, adding that it is now “absolutely valuable in a brand proposition”.
“It’s clear to say that today’s consumer – and tomorrow’s consumer even more so – will be willing to pay a premium not just for a brand, but for a brand that stands for a set of values and an experience,” he said.
Pernod Ricard’s Breakthrough Innovation Group is seeking to “transform” at-home cocktail culture with its “connected cocktail library” system Opn, which allows at-home users to serve cocktails from customised recipes, adapted for available ingredients.
“We’ve started to see hometainment growing across the world for a number of different reasons, depending on the markets,” said Ricard. “It’s started in some Latin American countries like Colombia – people started entertaining at home just because there was a higher risk of getting shot in a bar.
“[Now] hometainment in Colombia is one of the fastest growing channels. Hometainment is growing in other markets because it’s cheaper to entertain at home. So our first-ever connected home bar plays fully from that point of view.”
