Consumers and businesses used to rely on sellers as trusted advisors to provide the information they needed to make a purchasing decision. Most decisions are now made before the consumer or business contacts the seller over the Internet.

But internet research does not always provide the information consumers are looking for. Have you ever "googled" your product expecting your company website to deliver the best result? But were they the best results or paid ads from competitors instead?

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. After Google, more searches are done on YouTube than on Bing, Baidu, Yahoo and Ask. But you have no control over what content YouTube provides. And if your video is already found, you have no control over which next video YouTube puts in the queue.

Controlling communication

Companies like to manage communication. So the ability to come out in front of the search engines to select and distribute product information gives the brand the opportunity to regain some control.

Brands also operate in a world that rethinks labeling. Real estate on a label is precious. It is therefore very important to be able to comply with legal requirements for information, but also with matters such as information about allergens.

Increase your customer reach

Web pages accessible by human readable or auto ID are considered an extension of the label. And the ability to pull out different information depending on how data is requested means that much more tailored information can be displayed for each of the stakeholders. For groups such as consumers, retailers, logistics service providers as described above.

By placing web-enabled codes on the packaging or product, that information tracks your product wherever it goes. You control the information. You regain some of the user interaction and increase your reach.