EVRYTHNGIoTThe buzzword Internet of Things, or IoT for short, is obviously a whole bunch of technologies and Internet protocols that have the common goal of connecting all kinds of devices to the Internet. In contrast to networked computers and servers, these devices are usually equipped with little computing power and memory for lower energy consumption and for reasons of cost. These IoT devices then make their services and data available in the network via a server (gateway / broker) on the Internet that collects and evaluates the data to make it available for query. The IoT devices send their data to the IoT service or its gateway whenever they are ready. Ideally, each device is only responsible for one task or one measured value, so the other devices remain functional if one should fail temporarily or completely.

As we know, IoT projects are generally focused on the optimization and automation of processes; therefore, this new development can certainly provide marketers with an array of opportunity as well, especially when considering bridging the physical to the digital world.

Today’s “connected consumer” shower marketers with data for the marketing activities that accelerate the adoption and widespread distribution of the Internet of Things all the more. So, to no surprise, it is believed that IoT will make the biggest impact on marketing, ahead of other related technology trends like big data, real-time mobile personalized transactions, and customer experience.

The industry pioneer EVRYTHNG, for instance, identified three main consumer use cases for smart products powered by an IoT platform:

1. Products-As-Media: once activated, products become a data-driven, owned media platform to launch digital experiences and content.

2. Products-as-a-Service: physical goods that are packaged and delivered with a digital layer of personalized services can adapt themselves to user preferences and get better over time as they learn, and new digital upgrades are made.

3. Ecosystem-Connected Products: products can unlock additional user and business value by making more connections with partner products, apps, and data services in the digital ecosystem.

So, when looking at a company like EVRYTHNG, the tipping point for widespread IoT applications seems to be closer than we think. Its IoT platform-as-a-service is groundbreaking in digitizing consumer products at scale and connecting them to the Web to get value from the Internet of Things. For instance, manufacturers can connect their products to the EVRYTHNG cloud, access data management and analytics services to make them smart, interactive, programmable, and trackable. In other words, the EVRYTHNG platform allows brands to digitize their physical goods using a range of connectivity technologies — from image recognition, QR codes, Bluetooth, NFC, and RFID to printed electronics and sensor tags to embedded chips — and manages the real-time IoT data to run applications in real-time on the Web that unlock business and customer value.

EVRYTHNG’s IoT platform-as-a-service

From early on the company believed in the idea of a transactional economy and that the Web will inevitably include billions of objects sharing dynamic information about themselves in real-time; hence, the EVRYTHNG platform provides digital identity and data management for physical products. At the heart of the platform is the concept of an Active Digital Identity, mapped to an on-pack code, tag or sensor, which connects it to the web and the wider digital ecosystem. An intelligent digital twin for every product with its own unique URL. Multiple identifiers can map to the same digital twin allowing for interoperability between different codes, including the following:

  • A Semantic Data Model: a flexible and dynamic way to capture all your products’ attributes using GS1 vocabularies so that its profile is accessible over the web and can participate in applications.
  • Machine Learning and Analytics: data visualization and advanced algorithms can be applied to product and consumer datasets to unlock actionable insights.
  • Blockchain: integrated anchor product data and events on different blockchains using our pre-built connectors for verification and transparency.
  • Reactor Rules Engine: a customizable and real-time scripting tool which allows you to automate workflows and alerts based on real-world actions and events.
  • Dynamic Scans: a patented URL redirection tool to define the web service the user’s device is routed to, according to dynamic and context-specific parameters, like user profile, location, or day.
  • Integrations: allowing that a product can connect into wider digital ecosystem via out-the-box integration modules for common platforms like Salesforce, SAP or Amazon Alexa.
  • Security: each product URL has a unique crypto secure key so that communication is protected by strong Web protocols (TLS) and data strictly controlled by granular and flexible permissions.


Since EVRYTHNG operates as a B2B cloud platform-as-a-service, brands own all the data and control their digital consumer and supply chain stakeholder relationships directly.

By Daniela La Marca