TECHNOLOGY
to get their products to market , so actively seeks out innovative technologies like this to help achieve its goals . New developments like flexible integrated circuits have many applications and could be used in a variety of ways to increase efficiency , believes Simmonds .
“ The supply chain benefits with enhanced tracking throughout manufacture and delivery , resulting in fewer products being lost , while the ability to improve stock management means its less likely that products will go out of stock . Ultimately , it ’ s the end user who benefits most as FlexICs offer the potential to provide customers with information on their smartphone , such as reviews , promotions , recipes and recommendations prior to purchase and beyond . Meanwhile , data collected from products enabled with FlexICs could provide insights to give stores marketing opportunities before customers even purchase them .
For example , data that shows a customer picked up the product , tried it on in the changing room etc . Eventually , consumer loyalty could be enhanced by utilising packaging with a flexible integrated circuit to potentially provide data when it ’ s in the customer ’ s home . This could include sending a notification to the customer ’ s smartphone when a product is about to pass it ’ s use by date , or a reminder to purchase a replacement when a customer disposes of it .”
52 June 2018