NFC (Near Field Communication) is a reliable technology which can maximize user experience when efficiently integrated.
Unfriendly experiences encountered by early implementers are easy to prevent if you know the right things to do. In that way, the NFC technology can unfold to its full potential for the user instead of discouraging them.
Using NFC technology must offer benefits to the user, not discourage them from using it.
What is NFC?
Background on NFC Technology
The NFC technology allows wireless communication between two NFC-compliant devices up to 10 centimeters apart.
Very convenient, this connection does not rely on Wi-Fi, 4G, LTE or similar technologies, and it doesn't cost anything to use: no need for the user to be skilled, does not need batteries, does no emit RF waves in the absence of a reader (it is a passive technology), NFC is within range everyone’s range thanks to the massive deployment of NFC in smartphones.
The NFC Forum, the industry consortium promoting NFC and devices compliance, helps to ease and standardize NFC usage for consumers.
According to the NFC Forum, at the beginning 2020, a quarter of the planet’s inhabitants – two billion people — had an NFC-enabled device. Approximately 64 NFC-enabled devices are produced every second. These devices are usually smartphones fitted with NFC technology.
Many sectors are using NFC
This image below shows some of the many sectors using NFC technology and their applications.
Giving life to a brand
Bringing digital life to everyday consumer goods becomes possible when approaching an NFC-enabled smartphone to an NFC tag located on the product, and then opens a great world of possibilities: website, phone number, social media, loyalty, coupon delivery, deals, contest registration, product identification, etc.
The NFC technology can also be used to guarantee the integrity of products and authenticate their origin in applications and use cases including:
- Consumer engagement
- Brand protection
- Anti-counterfeiting
- Anti-theft
- Product identification
- Access control
- Asset tracking
- Gaming
What are the basics behind NFC technology?
NFC technology is based on a near-touch or tap experience.
> Read related page: NFC User Experience
The user brings his smartphone close to the touchpoint which embeds the tag to trigger an action on the user’s smartphone. An NFC tag can automatically launch an application on the smartphone and often connects to the Internet for additional information via a mobile network or a local Wi-Fi.
NFC operating modes
Depending on the application, NFC technology has different modes of operation:
- Reader mode
- Card emulation mode
- Peer-to-peer mode
- Charging mode
