Smartrac Taps into a new Communications Power : Media ...

November 28, 2012, WIMA NFC Conference, Millbrae, CA?Corey Wilson from Smartrac presented a case for changing the focus of NFC from financial to non-financial areas. The capabilities from the technology to enhance communications will become the driver for greater consumer adoption.

NFC is supposed to be fun. The startup will not be in transactions, but in other areas,. Communications definitions will change as users, retailers, and providers become more comfortable with the capabilities of the technology. In comparison with RFID which is a one-to-many data transfer mode, NFC offers a one-to-one active exchange.

Personal communications evolved from speech, to paper, to computers, and now to smart phones. In a similar manner, broadcast went from radio, to TV, to computers, and now to mobile devices, the NFC technology enables direct interactivity on a personal basis through the smart mobile devices, with their multi-function capabilities to link to the rest of the world.

NFC allows the user to pull information from any NFC-enabled object, and through the connection with the smart mobile devices, link directly to specialized opportunities, other social media, and comparison shopping. This change will move the on-line experience into the store and change the in-store experience to be much more personal. The various use cases partially depend upon mobile device availability. Market penetration is expected to be about 20 percent in North America next year, rising to 70 percent by '15. Other areas in the world will also grow, but at a slower rate.

For retail, the use case is to develop push from the brands and use the NFC tags as dynamic QR replacements. The store can dynamically alter the user's experience based upon information from the user device, the environment, and other inputs. A tap on a NFC enabled display will provide acquisition and recognition of the user, and gives the retailer information about the user. This information is a path to a purchase that can be enhanced by loyalty programs, couponing, promotion items, authentication, and can suggest items or contact the appropriate personal shopper.

As a result of these efforts, a retailer should see increased sales, greater visibility into the consumer behaviors, and constant contact with that consumer. The brands will be able to develop deeper understanding of their target customers through real-time information on data access and buying habits. Brands will be able to learn who, where, what, when, and even why people are buying their products.

Other applications include data capture and data sharing. The tags can create a clean trail of a user's inquiries. Social media can participate in many ways. For example, Samsung has a display in JFK airport that allows others to monetize a tap with requested videos and other displays.

Retail has worked to reduce personalization until the advent of NFC. Recent surveys indicate that 74 percent of retailers are developing in-store exposure criteria, to take advantage of the fact that 42 percent of all sales are from on-line exposure and social media. On the consumer side, 61 percent of the consumers consider themselves more informed than the sales associates. NFC will promote greater data availability in stores and for the consumers.

Posted by Tets on Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 9:58 pm?
Filed under Featured Content, New Technology, Tradeshows ? Tagged with consumers, data, Event, information, mobile, NFC, personal, sales, wima

Source: http://mandetech.com/2012/12/09/smartrac-taps-into-a-new-communications-power/

slainte the quiet man yellow cab dropkick murphys guernsey nit colcannon