Benoit Nicol of The Nature of Things

‘Future Proofing for Regulatory Compliance’

Benoit Nicol, founder of The Nature of Things, talks to GS1 Ireland about his QR code adoption journey.

Meet Benoit Nicol, founder of The Nature of Things, an artisan business in Dublin, Ireland, producing essential oils and a range of beautifully scented home and personal wellness products.

In this video we meet Benoit talks us through his journey to add QR Codes powered by GS1 to his product range. He talks us through the reasons he adopted QR Codes with a GS1 Digital Link to future proof his business and packaging for regulatory compliance, and also to enable next-level consumer engagement.

About The Nature of Things

After 20 years working in the fragrance industry in both France and New York, Benoit Nicol set up The Nature of Things in Dublin in 2018. Leveraging his extensive expertise in perfumery, Benoit launched his business with a range of carefully crafted essential oils. Today the business offers over 60 products to customers in Ireland, across Europe and all the way to Asia.

Getting Retail Ready with GS1

From the start Benoit knew he would need to be retail ready for his customer base which included health food stores, gift shops and independent stores. Benoit engaged with GS1 Ireland from the start, to identify his products with GTINs and include barcodes on pack.

Future Proofing

Today Benoit is preparing for the future by adding next generation barcodes, in the form of QR Codes powered by GS1, across his product range. There are several new regulations that require Benoit to share detailed information about his products with consumers and his trade partners. This includes product safety, ingredients and sustainability information. Sustainability is a topic that is very close to Benoit’s heart and is a core part of the ethos of The Nature of Things business.

“I could see the potential of this QR code delivering a lot of information to consumers about what we are doing in terms of both safety and sustainability for our products. Secondly, we have a way to communicate and market our products in a better way to consumers. So, the idea of having this QR code on each product, that people can scan with their phones, opening up a lot of information was very appealing to us.”

QR Code Adoption

As many of the products in the range from The Nature of Things are quite small in size, and the possibility to print additional information on pack is very limited, Benoit recognised the opportunity that the new QR codes with a GS1 Digital Link would create, to efficiently deliver detailed product safety and sustainability information to consumers.

Next level consumer engagement

Today, further developments with the QR codes and the platform that Benoit is using, Digital Link, mean that Benoit’s customers can scan the QR code on pack, learn about his products and his business, can shop online with him, leave reviews and importantly access all of that information in their own language.

Each QR code powered by GS1 contains a standardised link (called a GS1 Digital Link) which contains the product’s barcode number (GTIN). As a Brand Owner Benoit has chosen to set up a detailed landing page for each one of his products. On this page a unique product story can be crafted, selecting the information links, videos and purchase information most relevant for that product.

AI supported assistance on the platform can even help customers to dive deeper and ask questions about the business and the product range. Finally, the analytics provide great insight into what product is being scanned where, and what information consumers choose to access.

Conclusion

This early adoption of QR codes powered by GS1 has enabled The Nature of Things to connect directly to consumers, gathering rich data and analytics from around the world. This powerful and flexible solution can adapt over time, enabling Benoit to respond to  changing regulations and consumer behaviour, and provide the information needed.

The benefits of using QR Codes powered by GS1 for The Nature of Things:

• Communications, Customer Engagement and Insights
• Detailed product, sustainability & safety information
• Regulatory Compliance (CLP, ESPR, DPP)

For more information on The Nature of Things, visit thenatureofthings.ie/

Ready to start your QR Adoption Journey?

Talk to GS1 Ireland for next steps: retail@gs1ie.org