Have you been busy brainstorming ways to tag each garment with unique product information? It’s something apparel brands are starting to think about, what with rising customer demand for transparency and sustainability creds, not to mention the impending rollout of Digital Product Passports.
Retail brands are exploring QR codes on branding and packaging as a way to give customers quick access to garment information, but there are major problems to untangle first. How will you keep the QR code on the garment for its entire lifecycle? How can you display the code in a way that makes it super accessible to customers at point of sale? How will the new labeling impact manufacturing?
It's a complex process, and we should know — our expert teams have spent months noodling it out. And we’ve come up with a solution: introducing the Gemini Tag ®. Designed to obliterate product information tag roadblocks, this innovative new tag unlocks a world of potential for retail brands. Keep reading to find out how…
QR codes in retail: unpicking the product information tag conundrum
It’s widely accepted that using QR codes for products is currently the best way to deliver detailed information to customers at an individual item level. Each QR code could be totally unique to each garment and stay with it for its lifetime, allowing it to be recycled, cared for, and verified even after donation or resale. One scan with a smartphone and all the information is there. Potentially easy enough to do with the right partner. On this logic, a sewn-in care label seems like the best solution. And it is…but it also isn’t.
Brick-and-mortar customers intuitively reach for the product hang tag when they want extra info. It’s one of the most interacted-with pieces of product information on the whole shop floor. If you’re wanting to use QR code tags for your Digital Product Passports, you’ll need to be able to give customers easy access to the info to be compliant. And having them rummage around inside a garment for the care label isn’t really the vibe.
Read more: Digital Product Passports
By this point, you’re probably thinking along the same lines as us — for a unique product QR code to fully serve its purpose, it must be on a hang tag and a sew-in garment label. Ordinarily, that’d be a logistical nightmare, but with the Gemini Tag, it’s a breeze.
The Gemini Tag: two QR code labels, one garment, a lifetime of information
The Gemini Tag combines two duplicate QR codes into one epic system. The codes work in tandem (hence the clever name) in two areas of your garment — one code sewn into the garment and one on the most interactive part of the branding trim (such as the hangtag).
Here’s how it works:
- We’ll print two matching QR codes, supplied on one label. One side is a fabric care label and the other is a self-adhesive paper label. It’s all done in one place, at the same time, with minimal fuss.
- As your manufacturers sew the care labels into the garments, they simply peel off the QR code sticker and apply it to the hang tag. Your garments are double-tagged and ready to rock in less than one minute.
- Your garments arrive in-store, pre-tagged with a pair of matching QR codes, one sewn into the garment on a care label and one applied to the hang tag. No need to spend extra time and money tagging garments by hand!
QR codes act as a simple link to whatever information you want to provide. For example, scanning a garment QR code could take customers to a secure cloud-based platform that stores information on every item you manufacture. You could integrate Digital Product Passport information, supply chain info, garment provenance. Whatever you’d like!
Learn more about the Gemini Tag
The duplicated Gemini Tag codes can be applied to other forms of garment packaging, like garment multi-packs, and aren’t limited to QR codes — you can use the tags to duplicate other unique information you may use, like bespoke barcodes. Because we have a global presence, we can easily create both tags at the same time, close to needlepoint, regardless of where you manufacture.
Make it smart: combine with intelligent labeling
Like most labeling solutions at Checkpoint, the Gemini Tag can be customized to meet your specific needs. We’re not a one-size-fits-all kinda outfit over here — we’re all about using our smarts and our tech to help you unleash your brand’s full potential.
When you combine the Gemini Tag with products from our RFID portfolio, you’ll really be cooking with gas in terms of your labels’ smart capabilities. Add an RFID inlay, and you’ve got frictionless checkout and total inventory transparency. Got problems with shrinkage? Choose our UNO inlay and get RF EAS loss prevention benefits on top of the inventory management benefits you’d get with RFID. Want to create interactive customer experiences right there on the shop floor? Switch your standard RFID inlays for DUÉ MINI dual RFID labels, which blend RFID benefits with smartphone NFC technology. When you start customizing your RFID tech, the possibilities really are endless.
Read more: 6 surprising ways clothing labels can enhance your brand
Got questions? Great — we’ve got answers. Contact our team to learn more about the Gemini Tag and how it can solve your labeling headaches. Give us the lowdown on your brand, and we’ll show you how the Gemini Tag can be adapted to suit you.
