In many FMCG categories, products with similar characteristics, purposes, and price positioning are displayed on the same shelf. The brand’s task is to attract the shopper’s attention and quickly communicate the product’s value directly at the moment of choice. Packaging remains one of the main communication tools: it identifies the brand, communicates product characteristics, explains how to use it, and can support a promotional campaign.
However, the physical space of packaging limits the amount of information and the formats of interaction. Interactive packaging makes it possible to continue the interaction with the product in a digital environment. A QR code or another trigger can lead the shopper to a recipe, animation, game, 3D content, or promotional activation. One of the tools for implementing such scenarios is augmented reality in FMCG marketing.
What Is Interactive Packaging and How Does AR Work?
Interactive packaging is an approach in which physical packaging, a label, or another product-related medium becomes an entry point to additional digital content.
The basic flow looks like this:
packaging → QR code or another trigger → smartphone → interactive content.
After scanning, the shopper can access content that is difficult or impossible to fully place on a physical label:
- a recipe or usage recommendations;
- video and additional product information;
- 3D content or animation;
- an AR game or another gamified mechanic;
- a brand story or promotional activation.
Augmented reality on packaging adds an interactive AR experience to this model. A typical scenario is simple: the shopper sees a CTA, scans a QR code with a smartphone, opens AR content, interacts with it, and, if necessary, proceeds to the next target action.
Technically, AR packaging can work through WebAR or a mobile application. The choice between these formats depends on the specific campaign, but for a marketer, the scenario itself remains key: what the user receives after scanning and what brand objective this interaction addresses.
What Marketing Objectives Can AR on Packaging Address for an FMCG Brand?
The use of AR for FMCG should be planned around a marketing objective rather than the technology itself. Four main scenarios can be identified for interactive packaging.
1. Explain the Product and Help the Shopper Use It
When the information on the label is insufficient, interactive packaging can provide additional useful content. This can include step-by-step recipes, preparation methods, usage recommendations, options for combining the product with other products, information about the origin of raw materials, production, or product properties.
For example, a seasoning or sauce brand can show recipes and recommendations on which dishes the product works well with after the packaging is scanned. For healthy food, this could include preparation methods and ways to incorporate the product into a daily diet. In this scenario, AR helps move information that may be useful when discovering the product beyond the physical limits of the label.
2. Engage the Shopper in Interaction with the Brand
Another scenario is gamification in marketing and entertainment content. After scanning the packaging, the user can launch an AR game, quest, or animation, interact with a 3D character, or take part in an interactive brand story.
Here, the objective is no longer to explain the product but to create additional interaction around it. The physical packaging becomes an entry point into a branded digital experience, while the mechanic itself can be directly connected to the product.
3. Support a Promotional Campaign
AR can be one of the elements of a broader retail or promotional campaign. For example, a user scans the packaging, plays a game or completes a task, and then receives a promo code, points, an opportunity to enter a prize draw, or access to a bonus program.
The scenario may look like this:
packaging scan → AR activity → result → bonus / promo code / prize draw entry.
In this case, AR in marketing serves as a mechanic for implementing a specific promotional activation. The presence of augmented reality itself does not guarantee increased sales or repeat purchases — the result depends on the offer, audience motivation, and the overall campaign structure.
4. Connect Packaging, POS, and Digital Communication
The entry point into a single digital scenario does not have to be the packaging alone. A brand can use a label, QR code, wobbler, shelf talker, POS materials, product display, or promotional zone.
For example, a shopper sees a message about an activity near the shelf, scans a QR code on the packaging, proceeds to an AR game or recipe, and after the interaction moves on to a product page, brand website, promotional campaign, or loyalty program.
In this way, marketing at the point of sale can be connected with subsequent digital communication:
packaging / POS → AR content → next target action.
In this scenario, AR is one stage of a broader interaction between the brand and the shopper, while different physical media can lead to the same interactive experience.
Examples of AR Use in FMCG
Different marketing objectives require different mechanics. This can be clearly seen in two FMCG cases from ADVIN: DIVO VODA and OREO.
DIVO VODA — Interactive Label and Brand Storytelling
In the DIVO VODA project, the objective was to support product presentation through additional interaction with the packaging. Bottle labels activated AR content with different animated stories. In this way, the physical label became an entry point into brand storytelling and made it possible to continue communication after the first contact with the product.
OREO — Gamification Through Packaging
In the OREO project, the packaging was used as an entry point into an AR game. The user interacted with the product within the game mechanics and earned points. The case demonstrates another approach to interactive marketing — using AR gamification to engage the audience in interaction with the brand.
These examples demonstrate two different models: AR can deliver additional brand content or launch an entertainment mechanic. The specific format is determined by the campaign objective.
When Does Interactive Packaging Make Sense for an FMCG Brand?
Interactive packaging and AR for FMCG are worth considering when there is a clear objective for which physical packaging or traditional POS communication is insufficient.
The format may be appropriate if the brand wants to:
- explain the product or how to use it;
- provide more information than the packaging allows;
- support the launch of a new product;
- add interactivity to a promotional campaign;
- create a game mechanic;
- connect the physical product and point-of-sale communication with digital content.
Before launching an AR campaign, it is useful to answer five questions:
- What marketing objective does the campaign address?
- Who is its target audience?
- Where is the entry point — on the packaging, label, or POS materials?
- What will the user receive after scanning?
- What action should they take after interacting with the content?
If the answers to these questions form a clear scenario, the appropriate AR mechanic can be determined. Augmented reality should not be the goal of the campaign itself: its function is to help the brand implement a specific interaction with the shopper.
Conclusion
For FMCG, packaging can serve as an entry point into broader digital communication. Augmented reality on packaging makes it possible to add recipes, product information, 3D content and animation, gamification, and promotional mechanics, as well as connect the physical product with subsequent interaction with the brand.
At the same time, the choice of AR mechanics should begin with the marketing objective, audience, and desired user action. This approach makes it possible to organically integrate AR into FMCG marketing and use interactive packaging as part of broader retail or promotional communication.
Planning a promotional campaign or want to add an interactive scenario to your product packaging? ADVIN develops AR solutions for FMCG — from WebAR and interactive packaging to gamified campaigns.
