Delivery company Hermes has launched Hermes Play, allowing senders to record and attach personal videos to their parcels via an app.
The augmented reality technology was launched in the run-up to Valentine’s Day and more than 100 messages were sent in the first few days, including from small businesses, and Happy Birthday and Valentine’s declarations.
Created in the Hermes Innovation Lab, Hermes Play allows the sender to pre-record a personal message that is uploaded via the Hermes Send app.
A 2D barcode is created and added to the parcel label, which the recipient is invited to scan and watch the message.
Hermes Play is available to anyone using the Hermes app and is compatible with both Android and Apple devices.
It will be rolled out to retail clients, who will be able to further personalize their service with videos including promotions or instructions for products.
Chris Ashworth, chief information officer at Hermes UK, said, “Hermes Play is a unique, fantastic service that can be used by consumers to send messages to family and friends or by businesses for a more commercially focused approach. It’s designed to create a personal connection and make the experience of sending and receiving a parcel just that little bit more special.”