Tata Consumer Products: Leveraging QR codes and AR packaging

QR codes have evolved from simple scan-and-go tools to rich, interactive brand experiences—and Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) is leading this shift. With 79% of consumers more likely to buy a product that links to additional information via a QR code, it’s no surprise that the company is turning its packaging into digital gateways.

Tata Consumer Products (TCPL) is leveraging QR codes in terms of brand storytelling or product information directory. For instance, Tata Tea Agni, one of the leading tea brands, used QR code on its packs to lead consumers to the brand’s YouTube page, showcasing its latest ads and brand storytelling. This initiative connects users to the product’s message and helps reinforce the brand’s identity in a visually engaging way.

Organic India added QR codes to its Gokshura supplement packaging for greater product transparency. Upon scanning, users access product benefits and usage instructions, certifications and ingredient information, offers and return policies, and related products for cross-selling.

This approach strengthens consumer trust and supports the brand’s position in the wellness market.

Narrating brand stories through packaging

The team at Tata Consumer Products sees packaging as an opportunity to implement and convey its backstories and different campaigns. For the Tamilian new year, Tata Tea Chakra Gold Care launched the Pudhu Aarambam campaign. This print campaign featured a newspaper ad showing a traditional Kani Thali. The centerpiece, a mirror, revealed a QR code when viewed—a symbolically rich and culturally resonant gesture.

Scanning the QR code unlocked a webAR-powered personalised greeting, offering users an immersive and localised experience. The initiative, exclusive to Chennai, marked a move towards hyper-personalisation. The company says the idea was to celebrate Puthandu, a culturally significant festival for the people of Chennai, and the brand wanted to celebrate it in a way that felt both meaningful and modern.

Tata Consumer Products doesn’t limit itself to one city or culture. Tata Tea Gold celebrates Durga Puja, the biggest festival of West Bengal. Last year, Tata Tea Gold launched limited edition Kumaratuli-themed festive packs and leveraged technology to bring them alive.

Tata Tea Gold packaging captured the essence of Durga Pujo

The brand explains that the five-pack series captures the essence of Pujo through five symbolic elements: Dhaki, Shankho Dhwani, Ashtami Pujarin, Dhunuchi dance, and Sindoor Khela. Each pack also features a QR code- upon scanning the same, the figurines come to life in an AR-enabled environment through the phone. The brand terms this as “packtivation”, combining technology and tradition to bring key elements of the festival to life.

AR packaging

With AR packaging becoming mainstream, the company claims that there are three clear shifts shaping its strategy: Packaging evolving into an interactive storytelling medium, webAR removing friction for consumers, and rising demand for personalised, culturally rooted digital experiences. These trends have influenced several recent campaigns.

Tata Tea Chakra Gold Care Puthandu campaign used a print ad that featured a mirror element revealing a QR code, unlocking a personalised webAR festive greeting—showcasing how AR can modernise regional celebrations.

Tata Tea Gold VitaCare (2024) launched an AI + AR “face test” filter for World Vitamin D Day, enabling users to measure their "tiredness level" and learn about Vitamin D awareness in an engaging way.

Overall, AR is helping to transform packs into media assets, deepen cultural and regional relevance, and communicate trust and wellness more effectively—all while creating richer, more meaningful consumer interactions.

Tata Tea Chakra Gold launched special festive packs for its Dasara campaign, adorned with vibrant motifs inspired by Karnataka’s Dasara traditions. Each pack features a QR code linking to www.tatateachakragold.com, allowing consumers to create and share personalized Dasara greetings with their loved ones—extending the joy and togetherness from the store to every home and digital space.

Packaging - A digital touchpoint to connect consumers online

Packaging has evolved into a powerful digital touchpoint that connects consumers to online platforms, enabling richer engagement, deeper brand understanding, and higher conversion. By integrating QR and AR experiences across key brands, we ensure that every scan leads to an intuitive, frictionless journey—whether it is accessing regional stories, nutritional awareness, or personalised content. 

The company shared with us that campaigns such as Tata Tea Chakra Gold Care’s Puthandu AR greeting; Tata Tea Chakra Gold Mysuru Dasara; or “Har Green Action Se Farak Padega” campaign by Tata Tea Jaago Re are designed to delight consumers while guiding them toward relevant digital destinations such as brand pages, educational modules, or eCommerce links.

These interactions not only extend the physical pack into an always-on engagement channel but also help brands understand consumer behaviour precisely, enabling sharper retargeting and improved conversion.

Alluding to this, the company shares specific use cases which transformed the whole user experience journey. Notably, for Tata Tea Gold Care’s Mother’s Day campaign, a special pack allowed users to scan a QR code and generate personalised audio-visual tributes using an AI tool—by uploading a photo, choosing a language, and recording a message. The QR scan then unlocked an AR experience that transformed the pack into a memorable keepsake for mothers.

During Durga Pujo, Tata Tea Gold activated QR codes on festive packs that brought Kumartuli-inspired figurines to life; consumers could scan the code to see dhak players, dhunuchi dancers, and other icons animated through AR right in their homes.

Meanwhile, Tata Tea Chakra Gold’s #Posewithpushpa campaign blended fandom and fun: Scanning the QR code on the pack led consumers to a selfie-taking experience with various “Pushpa” poses, encouraging users to share entries on social media for rewards. Together, these initiatives reflect Tata Tea’s broader shift toward using connected packaging to drive emotional engagement, cultural celebration, and digital participation at scale.

Market sentiment

Packaging is a sensorial touchpoint, not just a protective layer. Tata Tea and Tata Coffee affirms to have consistently treated packaging as an extension of brand experience—something that should delight the senses, communicate quality, and create an emotional connection even before the product is consumed.

For brands like Tata Tea Gold, Tata Coffee Grand, and Tetley—packaging is engineered to evoke sensory cues associated with aroma, colour, and authenticity.

While sensorial experience is important, customer experience as a whole is the ultimate priority. This means designing packaging that not only looks and feels premium but also improves functionality (easy tear, reseal ability), ensures product integrity, communicates the brand story clearly, and—more recently—integrates digital experiences through QR or AR-enabled packs to build deeper engagement.
In essence, for Tata Tea and Tata Coffee, sensorial packaging is one part of a larger objective: Creating meaningful, memorable, and unique consumer experiences that drive trust, preference, and repeat purchase.

Tata Tea—and Tata Consumer Products as a whole has seen consistently positive consumer response to its packaging innovations. QR and AR integrations spark excitement and curiosity, deepening interaction and bringing the brand story to life in a more immersive way.