Consumer loyalty hinges on brands’ transparency, and trust building has long been a foundation of any business-to-consumer relationship, but the information consumers crave and the way brands can show up for them has evolved. This is where Consumer Brands’ SmartLabel shines.

“Consumers really want more information and brands are leaning in toward providing that transparency,” said Rishi Banerjee, senior director of SmartLabel, during a virtual panel at the Plastics Packaging Summit. “Consumers trust brands who are transparent and share more data.”

SmartLabel is Consumer Brands’ flexible, adaptable digital platform that customers, with the scan of a QR code, can access timely product information about their favorite food, beverage, household cleaning and personal care products, arming consumers with the information they’re seeking as well as a way for brands to ensure they are able to comply with regulatory and digital disclosure requirements.

Banerjee has been in the consumer packaged goods industry for over 15 years and has witnessed the evolution the industry has undergone to connect more directly with consumers, who are in turn empowered by having access to more information.

“With so many supply chain challenges and issues, SmartLabel is a digital tool that brands use to share product updates. It’s also a way for brands to tell a story about a product in a way you really can’t do on-pack,” he said.

And telling a product’s story means going beyond the label – SmartLabel connects consumers with critical information like how to recycle product packaging down to details like how a product should be properly recycled (how often do you think about whether it’s necessary to take the lid off a peanut butter jar before tossing it in a blue bin?) And for consumers who overwhelmingly find recycling rules hard to follow, these details can help consumers better ensure the circular lifecycle of product packaging.

Recent Consumer Brands survey data showed 75% of consumers want to buy products that have recyclable packaging, and another 75% want their products to have packaging made from recycled material. However, more than five-in-10 (55%) consumers say they find the sheer amount of recycling rules that vary at the state, local and hyper-local level make recycling confusing.

Consumers’ ability to get the full narrative of a product they’re considering in the grocery store creates a relationship with a brand on the path to loyalty. Research shows 80% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to brands that share more detailed product information. SmartLabel can help with that lift because of its consumer-friendly design that offers consistency across categories, organization of information and ease of access. Currently, about 100,000 products from over 1,000 brands across 80 companies use SmartLabel.

Consumer Brands supports SmartLabel across the policy, regulatory and legal space. Learn more here.