Avon join forces with CDP on smart packaging development

The packaging supported consumer trials of the ANEW Reversalist Infinite Effects Night Treatment Cream, allowing Avon to gather insights into how participants in the month-long trial were actually using the product.

The new skincare product combines two different night creams that need to be rotated every seven days to prevent the user’s skin adapting to the skincare regime.

Key to optimising the anti-ageing benefits was that users needed to remember to rotate the double-ended dispenser each week; a task that CDP’s user insight service diialog™ was able to track.

“Our challenge from Avon was to verify that users were remembering to rotate their double-ended dispenser each week,” ​explains Tom Lawrie-Fussey, digital services specialist at CDP.

“Working alongside Avon’s packaging team, our human factors experts were able to ensure the technology was a seamless part of the ergonomics of the product, eliminating any potential impact on users’ behaviour.​”

How did the diialog technology help?​

CDP explains that its technology works by translating inertial sensing data from the dispenser into accurate user insights.

A major challenge for this, according to CDP, was ensuring the diialog technology could be incorporated into the dispenser without adversely affecting its performance or appearance, while also making sure there was sufficient battery life to cover Avon’s month-long consumer trial requirements.

“The results of the diialog trial revealed that users were able to successfully follow the regimen of rotating the dispenser each week – there were very few cases of triallists forgetting which end of the device to use​,” says CDP.

“As well as successfully assessing and evaluating the original challenge, the trial also uncovered further opportunities for packaging innovation to help maximise continued adherence to the desired usage regimen – insights that were not apparent from the feedback questionnaire completed by everyone who took part in the trial.​”

Paul Davies, executive director of global skincare R&D at Avon Cosmetics, praises the technology's insights.

“CDP’s diialog technology helped us confirm that we designed the product to be intuitive and easy to use for our customers, to help them stick to the regime long term,”​ he says.