Innovation

TAP SERIES

Everything of value needs to be protected.

TAP series stoppers provide a guarantee of authenticity of origin and can also provide additional information, accessed via a smartphone.
In the global spirits market, market consolidation, the need to foster economies of scale and the search for cost-effective solutions, has increased the demand for mass-produced, industrialized packaging solutions.

But this has also increased problems of counterfeiting.
Hi-tech customized solutions are the best way to thwart this trend, and also ties in with the spirits market’s marked premiumization trend, including the rising role of packaging as a tool for distinguishing brands, and growing demand for crafts spirits, which has fuelled a trend towards more natural, craft and authentic packaging solutions.

Using a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, TAP stoppers enable data to be transmitted wirelessly between nearby devices, in this case, the stopper and a smartphone. 
The tag contains pre-recorded information, such as a serial number, production date and a wealth of additional information associated to the product, such as serving and mixing suggestions, product information, promotional campaigns and competitions.

The micro-chip inserted within the stopper provides a far more reliable mechanism than a QR code, which can be easily copied and printed on a label.
One only needs to think about how banknotes incorporate various hidden features – such as magnetic ink, metal strips and both physical and digital watermark devices offering machine readable data.

NFC technology, developed by Sony, Nokia and Philips, is a key technology for future mobile communications and already has a wide-variety of applications - including contactless payments, healthcare, ticketing, access control and smart offices and homes.
The TAP series is a perfect tool for combatting counterfeiting and can also provide a wealth of additional information, including promotional campaigns, the product origin, serial number and serving & mixing suggestions. 

Internet links can provide access to additional information and can also be used for augmented reality solutions. 
Counterfeiters take advantage of mass-produced industrialized packaging solutions because they are easier to imitate, making it possible to mimic the content and packaging of existing products, and pass off second-grade imitations as if they were the genuine article. 

The best way to combat this trend is to develop distinctive packaging, based on proprietary technology, that is more difficult to imitate.
In short: the more you industrialize the packaging, the easier it is to be copied,  the more natural, craft and authentic you look, the more difficult it is to copy!
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