NFC Chips Could Revolutionize Beauty Products
You have probably heard of RFID… you know, the technology behind those pieces that let you bypass tollbooths on your evening commute home or the security scan cards that get you into your office? NFC Chips (Near Field Communication) use the technology that has evolved from this. There is endless potential when you involve these tiny chips. It allows phones, laptops, and tablets to share data with other NFC equipped devices when they’re within four inches of each other.
If you think of your favorite beauty brand, it is amazing what can be done with this special chip within it’s packaging. Athena Beauty Group can help you to integrate the NFC into the proper place on the packaging as well as help guide you through the full integration and usage process with our strategic partners. Most likely you have seen this chip already… it looks like a person’s fingerprint. You simply use your smartphone with the built in NFC technology (as of 2014 there are over 570 million of them) and with a tap of the phone, looking at the product’s chip, it will immediately start delivering the digital experiences.
The NFC can transfer data like how-to videos, contact information, and content related to that product such as Pinterest pages with pictures of people using the product and before and after photos. How does this work exactly? It will automatically start when another NFC device enters within the 4-inch range by instantly communicating and sending prompts to the user. You can also be a part of a mobile membership service that adds mobile coupons that can be redeemed via the NFC chip. It will let the customers store their own beauty profile, transaction history, make appointments, and access beauty tips as well as direct access to the e-commerce site to shop for those specific products.
The massive benefit to brands wanting to enable and use this technology is endless. If someone scans the NFC chip on the packaging, it will send real-time information directly back to the brand and/or distributor and manufacturer. This information is valuable to the brand because it enables them to see what is happening to their products once they’ve left the shelves. It also helps to give customers the compelling product information when it links to the Point of Service on cosmetic displays typically seen in retail venues. With one swipe of a smartphone consumers can engage with the displays to load video content about those products, which helps companies get closer to their customer in addition to engaging through the phone without having the potential customer take the time and download an app. By tapping a smartphone over an NFC chip, consumers can access the exclusive content about a specific product or brand. The brands officials can measure video views and other consumer insights not typically available with traditional printed displays and brochures.
Another great example of the benefits was for the VIP guests at London Fashion Week this past year. A designer made a fashion ring with the NFC chip built within. This allowed the guests to be able to make purchases, real-time, directly from the runway by tapping their NFC ring against a payment receiver tag attached to the clothes and accessories. The payment receiver tags used Bluetooth low energy to communicate with virtualized POS terminals to process the payment. Talk about the holy grail for brands, right? Making it super easy and quick for consumers to make those spontaneous buys.
Keep your eyes peeled as you will keep seeing more and more of these chips coming to your favorite beauty brands. From moisturizers to perfumes to nail polishes, this is something that helps to marry the educated, savvy consumer with brands with technology and social media intelligence.