Polytag, the QR code solution provider for connected packaging, has extended its partnership with Ocado Retail, so that more than 60 of Ocado’s food, drink, and household product ranges now feature Polytag’s Digital Link QR codes.
The codes enable consumers to delve deeper into product information and sustainability practices with a simple scan. This expansion follows the success of a project Polytag ran with Ocado Retail in 2023 to deliver a ‘world-first’ nationwide digital deposit return scheme (DDRS) trial.
Over eight weeks, 20,000 20p rewards were given to consumers that had purchased – and recycled – Ocado’s milk bottles via standard kerbside collection methods. Post-trial surveys revealed that 93% of the pilot users felt ‘positively’ towards the idea of a DDRS in the UK, according to Polytag.
The initiative will now see the UK’s leading online grocer package dry food and cleaning products in refillable containers to reduce single-use plastic and encourage reuse. Polytag’s QR codes will be used to educate customers on how to take part in the refill scheme and return their products.
Laura Fernandez, senior packaging and sustainability manager at Ocado Retail, said, ‘We are proud to be the first major supermarket to pilot an online reusable packaging scheme. Polytag’s QR codes give us the opportunity to explain how re-using can eliminate single-use packaging, and how easy and convenient the Ocado solution is, right to their doors. We continue to expand the number of Ocado Own Range products featuring Polytag QR codes, reflecting our growing focus on digital solutions to communicate key information and messaging to our customers.’
When users scan Polytag’s GS1-approved QR codes with their smartphones, they are taken to a landing page with bespoke and specific information on the product. Ocado Retail uses the regularly updated bespoke landing pages to dynamically engage with and educate its customers on key sustainability topics such as sourcing initiatives, recycling and food waste prevention. The landing page technology also supports links, videos, and surveys.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, added, ‘Surpassing 60 products with Ocado Retail – including its new refillable options – is a step forward in making sustainable shopping more accessible. By integrating our Digital Link QR codes, powered by GS1, we’re providing new ways to quantify the success of sustainability programmes and enabling the reuse process all through accurate tracing of packaging through the supply chain.’
