Amcor Capsules, a creator of premium capsules, and Selinko, the object identification company, launched InTact, a high-quality connected overcap to protect wines and spirits against counterfeiting and fraudulent refilling.
By using a near field communication (NFC) smartphone or device to tap the chip embedded in the tag together with the Selinko mobile application platform, any industry player or consumer can now easily verify the authenticity of their bottle.
Wine and spirits counterfeiting and the shift towards smart packaging
According to the magazine Wine Spectator, 20% of wine sold worldwide is counterfeit.
The rise of mobile generates new usages and habits (video chat, mobile shopping, contactless payment etc.). IoT demonstrates a strong growth and the Gartner group announces that 208 Billion objects will be connected by 2020. Wines and Spirits will also be part of IoT revolution.
When it comes to IoT and secure payment, NFC is the leading enabling technology. Today more than 330 smartphone models are already NFC enabled.
Ready-to-cap solution
Amcor Capsules has taken up a technical challenge by developing a specific overcap to directly embark the NFC tag. The qualitative decoration process and the discreet integration of the tag allow brands to maintain a strong and premium image. InTact is a ready-to-cap solution that requires no change on the bottling line.
“We are very proud of the tremendous work accomplished by our R&D engineers”, says Arturo Martorelli, Sales and Marketing Director of Amcor Capsules. “Our priority was to facilitate the implementation of the capsule on our customers’ bottling lines. This led us to integrate the NFC tag directly in the overcap. Besides, the marketing managers appreciate the discretion of the solution that causes no disruption of the pack while maintaining a high brand image.”
The power of a multi-services platform
Amcor’s connected overcap combined with Selinko’s platform enables wine and spirit brands to fight counterfeits. Anyone tapping the overcap with an NFC smartphone can authenticate the bottle, verify its status (opened/not opened yet), and get information about the product (vintage, production, history, serving tips, etc.) as well as the brand. Selinko’s platform also allows brands to better control their distribution network to detect gray markets by involving the end consumer as final controller.
Selinko provides unique consumer engagement services, while collecting real-time consumer insights. InTact marketing services remain active even after the opening of the bottle to pursue the experience anytime, anywhere. The level of security of the NFC tag can be adapted to the brand needs and budget: from no security for marketing engagement for instance up to bank-level security.
“A revolution is happening. Connected products and packaging are booming and no market will be spared. NFC technology will become inevitable in our day-to-day life. If you look at mobile payment for instance, 85% of transactions will be NFC-based by 2019,” says Patrick Eischen, CEO of Selinko. “In the brand protection technologies market, InTact is paving the way to new possibilities for premium wines and spirits. InTact is intuitive, innovative, non-intrusive and aligned with market connected age evolution. Compared to other long-term existing technologies, it doesn’t require any particular expertise on consumer or distributor’s side when it comes to identifying a visual marking as being original or fake. No doubt that InTact will change the anti-counterfeiting landscape.”
Rebourseau estate in Gevrey-Chambertin, first wine to adopt InTact
The well-renowned Burgundy estate, Henri Rebourseau will adopt InTact technology on several vintages of his Clos de Vougeot wines. The first Grand Crus connected bottles, equipped with InTact technology, will be available on the market first quarter 2017.
