Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology has crossed paths with promotional products, and it’s really exciting! With the addition of NFC technology to promotional products, the possibilities are near limitless. It gives new life to the industry, and you’ll quickly see why. First, let’s start off by defining what exactly NFC technology is.
What exactly is NFC?
NFC is a form of wireless data transfer that allows a user to send information to another user simply by bringing two portable devices (or in our case a portable device and an NFC enabled product) within a few millimeters of each other. This information can include web hosted pictures, videos, audio files and weblinks, but an NFC chip can also trigger functions on your smart device! For example, it can trigger the opening of specific applications or instantly connect to a Wi-Fi signal. NFC technology covers a vast range of management services—from booking reservations to making direct payments, this hassle-free method makes dealings easier than ever. Important documents, information and presentations can easily be transferred device-to-device during any sort of meeting.
What does this mean for distributors?
It means that distributors can offer added value to already amazing promotional products. It means extending the life of promotional products, allowing something that’s simply physical to become forever digital. Promotional products can now be used as tools with the addition of NFC technology, and the time is right now as the NFC market is set to expand to $23 billion by 2023.
What does this mean for end-users?
It means end-users can now use their promotional products as marketing tools and provide features that were not possible before! To explain further, let’s look at a few real-world examples.
Example 1:
A marketing agency would like personalized meeting journals for their employees for when they attend client meetings. The NFC tags on each personalized journal will contain the contact information of a specific employee. At the end of meetings, their clients will be able to place their smart device on the journal and instantly be sent contact information. The journals that their employees bring with them have now been transformed into digital business cards.
Example 2:
A bank gifts their clients journals that are enabled with an NFC chip. The NFC chip within the journal is embedded with a smart link where the bank can change the messaging whenever they please. They might want to display special offers that change throughout the year or promote their yearly fundraiser, the flexibility and convenience is there and can easily be achieved with the addition of NFC technology to their promotional gifts.
At Spector & Co., we always strive to provide innovative branding solutions for our products. NFC technology is a game changer in our industry and we’re excited to see how our clients leverage this new branding solution!
