Helping organic make its mark in the digital age

A shopper interacts with Provenance data at the point of sale.

We’re breaking new ground at Provenance, partnering with the the UK's leading organic certification body to bring the Soil Association Organic mark to the digital age. Transforming the mark from a static image on product labels, to a fully-interactive symbol, our work enables shoppers to find out more about the produce they buy.Supporting the Soil Association with new technologyThe Soil Association campaigns for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. Through their trading subsidiary, Soil Association Certification, the organisation works with over 6,000 businesses that operate to achieve real change in the world through chemical-free farming, production and promotion of healthier food for customers.Sharing in the Soil Association’s mission to provide shoppers greater information about the food they buy, we worked to make the organic mark fully interactive, while making its corresponding data accessible to shoppers at the point of sale.

Bringing together digital and physical to provide shoppers trustworthy information about products and their certification marks.

Redesigning the digital mark of trustThere are three components to the new, interactive certification mark:

• Gathering and showcasing certification data on ProvenanceAlong with location data, we’ve introduced a ‘verification method’ field to show that the verification uses data pulled from the certification body’s database. This proves that the certification has been granted based on third-party auditing. We also included the certification’s renewal date to convey the mark’s validity.
• Making certification data accessible at the point of saleWe designed shelf edge labels displaying the mark, as well as product claims such as Non-GMO and Animal Welfare. Utilising QR codes & NFC tags, we linked the physical labels with their digital pages on the Provenance platform.
• Empowering customers with informationBringing physical and digital worlds together, shoppers can simply scan the labels with their mobile phones to activate the product page displaying product and certification data.

Intuitive designs for the future of certificationCustomers in store responded positively to the designs, and they were able to intuitively scan the labels to access digital data. Organic produce proved to be a driver for purchasing decision among shoppers who recognised the mark. The product claims featured on the label were also well-received, with feedback suggesting that the additional information on organic products enriched the shopping experience.