Connected packaging specialist Appetite Creative, in partnership with Koenig & Bauer AURAVEO, has released results from its fifth annual Global Connected Packaging Survey 2026. The research reveals that 92.3% of those surveyed say that connected packaging will be increasingly important to the packaging industry in the next 12 months and beyond, up from 88.8% in 2025.

Adoption of connected packaging has rebounded strongly, with 81.2% of companies currently using the technology, up from 72.6% last year. Respondents consider connected packaging important for data collection (60.9%), to enable compliance e.g. GS1, digital passports etc (60.7%), sustainability (60.4%), marketing and customer loyalty (60.2%) and to drive engagement (57.8%).

The shift from single technology to multi-technology implementations continues, with QR codes and NFCs combined now used by 47.1% of adopters, compared to QR codes alone (31.8%) and NFC tags alone (21.1%). Serialised QR code interest saw a 7.1 percentage point increase, rising to 73.2%, up from 66.1% in 2025, reflecting strong majority interest in more sophisticated deployment strategies. Industry scepticism has dropped, with only 7.7% of all respondents viewing connected packaging as a passing fad, compared to 13.4% in 2025.

The marketing/advertising (14.2%), automotive/travel (13.5%) and manufacturing (13.5%) sectors lead adoption, followed by FMCG (12.4%) and Packaging (12.4%), demonstrating broad industry acceptance beyond traditional packaging verticals.

Digital marketing investment

Three quarters (75.7%) are increasing their digital marketing spend in 2026, which remains consistent with 75.5% reported in 2025. Campaign planning has risen sharply, with 83.3% of respondents planning connected packaging campaigns this year, up from 76.7% in 2025.

Higher tier budget allocations have seen a slight uptick and mid-tiers remain flat. With 19.2% of respondents planning to spend $15,000 to $30,000, and 24.1% planning to spend between $31,000 to $50,000, compared to 21% and 25% in 2025. With 15.3%, up from 10%, looking to spend $51,000-$80,000 and 13% claiming budgets of more than $81,000, up from 7.7% last year. Over a quarter (28.4%) plan to spend less than $15,000, which is a year-on-year drop of 6.4 percentage points from 34.8% in 2025. This indicates organisations are graduating from small pilots to meaningful campaigns, with growing confidence and scale in budget commitment.

Consumer engagement

Consumer engagement through gamification has continued its upward trajectory, with 67.7% of participants now incorporating gaming elements into campaigns, an increase of nearly nine percentage points (8.7%) from 59% in 2025.

Mobile games (52.1%), quizzes and trivia (48.9%) and AR-based games (42.3%) are the leading formats. The primary goal for gamification remains the promotion of new products or services (47.2%) followed by gathering consumer insights (23.4%) and brand awareness (17.7%).

Jenny Stanley, managing director at Appetite Creative, says, “Five years in, and the data tells a compelling story. Connected packaging has moved decisively from an emerging trend to a boardroom imperative. The record adoption rates, surge in gamification and the increasing focus on regulatory compliance all point to an industry that is no longer just experimenting, it’s implementing at scale. What is particularly exciting is how the use cases are broadening: from consumer loyalty and sustainability to supply chain traceability and digital product passports. Connected packaging is no longer a marketing tool alone; it is a strategic business platform.”

Sandra Wagner, CEO of Koenig & Bauer Kyana, comments, “Connected packaging has reached an inflection point, and the results of this year’s survey make that unmistakably clear. The record adoption rates, the surge in multi-technology deployment and the growing focus on regulatory compliance all reflect an industry that has matured significantly.”