Ever searching for innovative ways to introduce products to the consumer market, marketers are examining the possibility of using near field communication (NFC)—a short-range technology that utilizes electromagnetic waves to allow wireless communication between electronic devices in close proximity—to design interactive advertisements that give consumers the ability to more easily research and purchase products.
“Imagine an expensive bottle of single malt . . . By simply tapping your mobile phone to the bottle you can capture a video [that] takes you back to how this single malt was aged. This immediately captures your imagination and you go straight through to a page where you order a bottle to be sent to your father for his 60th. By making the branded content immediately and effortlessly accessible, the entire process is as smooth as the drink itself,” Drinks International, a news, research and analysis source for the drinks industry explained how the technology works.
- Burberry’s new Autumn/Winter 2013 collection will feature embedded NFC tags that consumers can use to access online content related to the garment. (Image: Luxury Daily)
Other industries are also experimenting with use of NFC codes. In a trial conducted by fashion retailer Vic at its shop in Groningen, the Netherlands, NFC and QR codes were placed throughout the store, offering access to the brand’s website, promotional videos and coupons.
“We found that the NFC tags are more popular than the QR codes because they are very simple to use,” store manager Jouke De Jong told NFC World.
Luxury fashion brand Burberry also reportedly embedded NFC tags into its Autumn/Winter 2013 clothing line – when scanned, the tags direct customers to videos illustrating the garment’s creation process.
