Vinca Wines is an innovative wine producer specialising in premium wines packaged in eco-friendly cans. With a mission to make quality wine more accessible and sustainable, Vinca Wines has quickly gained popularity for its commitment to sustainability and its fresh approach to wine packaging.
The regulatory challenge
The brand faced regulatory challenges when trying to engage consumers via QR codes on their packaging within the EU. Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 means that brands can communicate multi-language ingredients, allergy, provenance information and health warnings all via a QR code. However, these regulations also prohibit the use of QR codes on wine packaging to show marketing and customer engagement content - essentially nothing that promotes the wine or encourages its consumption.
This represented a valuable opportunity lost for Vinca as it prevented them from communicating directly with any customers that interacted with their product in EU.
To navigate this, Vinca Wines partnered with SmartLinks to implement a dynamic QR code solution that still complied with EU laws while maximising customer engagement. These innovative QR codes enabled Vinca Wines to seamlessly tailor their content based on user location, ensuring legal compliance and enhanced user experience.
In addition to this, it is allowed to place a second QR code that does also link to marketing information elsewhere on the packaging if you have space. However, with the global transition to QR codes powered by GS1 now underway, over the next few years the QR code will gradually replace barcode as product identifier used at the point of sale so the use of multiple QR codes could create customer confusion and ‘scan frustration’ at the checkout.
The solution
To address this challenge, SmartLinks developed a sophisticated solution that would allow Vinca Wines to comply with EU regulations while still offering dynamic QR code functionality globally. The solution involved the use of the GS1 Digital Link standard, which allowed Vinca Wines to manage their product information in a standardised way, ensuring both legal compliance and future-proofing their data structure.
How it works
SmartLink’s solution uses the following measures to specifically tailor the information presented by the QR codes depending on who scans them:
IP-Based filtering: when a customer scans a QR code on a Vinca Wines can, our system checks the user’s IP address to determine their geographic location.
Dynamic content delivery: based on the location of the user, the QR code directs them to different content. For users within the EU, the QR code leads to legally compliant content without any marketing or engagement features. For users outside the EU, the QR code directs them to a more interactive experience, including promotional offers, competitions, and brand information.
QR codes powered by the GS1 Digital Link standard: by utilising GS1 Digital Links, Vinca Wines ensures that each QR code adheres to international standards for product information, enhancing both compliance and user experience. This framework ensures that their digital content stays scalable and adaptable as regulations evolve.
Multiple QR codes with custom extensions: the GS1 Digital Link Standard also allows for custom parameters and extensions. This allows smart links to provide multiple QR-codes on bottles as needed, with both QR codes being scannable at the till of the future, representing the same GTIN and GS1 Digital Link, while offering a differing experience to the consumer that scanned with a phone to fully comply with EU Legislation and the marketing aims of Vinca.
This approach allowed Vinca Wines to maintain compliance with EU regulations while still effectively engaging with customers in non-EU markets. The implementation process was simple using SmartLinks’ powerful conditions engine.
Benefits realised
The implementation of SmartLinks’ dynamic QR code solution has yielded significant benefits for Vinca Wines. This includes:
Legal compliance: Vinca Wines is now fully compliant with EU regulations while still utilising QR codes on their packaging.
Enhanced customer engagement: outside the EU, customers engage with rich, interactive content, driving brand loyalty and increasing participation in promotional activities.
Global flexibility: Smartlinks conditions engine ensures that Vinca Wines can deliver the appropriate content to users no matter where they are, without the need for multiple packaging versions.
SmartLinks provided us with an ingenious solution that not only kept us within the bounds of EU law but also allowed us to continue engaging our customers globally in a meaningful way. The dynamic QR codes have been a game-changer for us, enabling Vinca Wines to deliver targeted content seamlessly.”
Zak Walters
Co-founder of Vinca Wines
By partnering with Smartlinks, Vinca Wines have successfully overcome the regulatory challenges of the EU market while still leveraging the power of QR codes powered by GS1 to connect with customers around the world. This powerful partnership highlights how combining innovative technology with GS1 standards can help businesses to navigate complex regulations and enhance customer engagement in a global marketplace.
