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Gebr Heinemann trials online product information
Travel retail operator Gebr Heinemann and the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) are testing digital product labelling, enabling consumers to discover nutritional information online.
Gebr Heinemann is testing digital information across 10 duty free products, including alcohol
The pilot project is being carried out across 10 items in Hamburg Airport, including alcohol, confectionary and perfume, and allows travellers to visit the ETRC’s website on a smartphone by scanning the barcode of the item.
The consumer can then review detailed information about the product, including nutritional details, ingredients, allergens and information about the producer in numerous languages.
Inken Callsen, director fulfilment at Gebr Heinemann, said: “Our goal is to ensure that travellers are well informed and have access to relevant and helpful information about the products they would like to buy or consume.
“The ETRC off-pack solution ensures that retailers and brands will be able to continue to comply with their obligation to inform travellers in accordance with EU regulations.
“Reading through tiny font in up to 24 languages on the product packaging to see if, for instance, it contains a certain ingredient can be quite exhausting.
“The digital off-pack solution improves transparency for duty free customers by providing easy access to essential product information.”
ETRC will present the results of the project to its members at the upcoming ETRC Business Forum.
The European Commission requires a live test with passengers in addition to the presentation of a demo version before the initiative can be approved.
Julie Lassaigne, ETRC deputy secretary general, said: “The digital platform is an important step for our entire industry in terms of developing sustainable solutions together to address the challenges posed by increasing legal regulations for the international travel retail market.
“Our efforts are now concentrated on gaining acceptance by EU and national policymakers for such a solution.”