Posted on September 24th, 2014 by Sean Dempsey
NFC Usage Statistics
It is hard to say the actual usage of U.S. phones with NFC enabled. Most devices these days have NFC capability, but the one big exception has been iPhone, which as most people know has huge market-share. A significant development has been that the latest iPhone 6 does have NFC, but it appears to be locked down only for the Apply Pay feature at this time. Still, many speculate that this is a positive indication for future growth of NFC. If you search around the web, you can find many articles speculating on NFC growth, for example: http://www.cnet.com/news/nfc-enabled-cell-phones-to-hit-416-million-shipments-report/.
Because NFC is still an emerging technology for many/most users (even those who have it and may not be aware of it) it’s typically a best practice to also include a QR code and/or a short-URL (Qfuse also generates short-URLs) in order to provide an alternate method of engagement for non-NFC users. But it really depends on your use-case and target audience/device.
Qfuse URL Structure & Default Functionality
By default our Qfuse platform’s mobile site URLs are formatted as qfuse.com/site-name. However, with an Enterprise account we have the capability to also have sites resolve to a custom URL of our clients’ choosing; so it would be your-url.com/site-name. This way our clients can can provide their customers the direct URL (or link to the URL) and it would show on their custom domain.
Posted in NFC Technology, Qfuse News |
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Sean Dempsey 
Posted on September 11th, 2014 by Carol Hansson
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 saw Apple release its newest version of iPhone to the public – the iPhone 6, complete with a larger screen, back to the bevelled edges, and even NFC. NFC, short for “near-field communication”, allows for your new iPhone to talk to other devices. Although Apple’s main focus is Apple Pay – where you can pay for your coffee or lunch with the tap of your phone – the NFC tag, in combination with Qfuse, can greatly enhance a business’ marketing potential.
Imagine a customer walking into a store, seeing your product, and being able to tap their phone on a nearby advertisement and automatically viewing a video, or visiting your website. This has even more advantages if you happen to have an e-commerce store; for example, say you sell shoes. A customer walks in, falls in love with a style of shoe, but the store doesn’t have the color they want. Enter NFC – the customer can tap on the advertisement and instantly get a list of nearby stores that carry your shoes – and have the color in stock.
The possibilities to using NFC are endless; customers who tap can receive a percentage off one of your products; someone interested in your service can tap to sign up for an e-mail list. The technology can even expand to outside of a store. Billboards on bus stops can contain NFC tags, which can be tapped for more information; they can also be embedded within stand-alone posters in malls or grocery stores, directing the customer to a sale or new product within the vicinity. This is advertising in its most interactive … any matter of information can be directed to the tapped smart phone, such as current and local reviews, website landing pages, even app download!
Qfuse can help manage your NFC-enriched promotions, from one NFC tag to a 100 or more. By tracking the amount of people who use the NFC, including where they are, what time of day, etc., you can improve your promotions immensely. Qfuse can also generate unique, user-friendly mobile landing pages – so that when someone does use your NFC, they are brought to a landing page that shows beautifully on any mobile phone, and includes all of the important details.
What about the smart phone users who are not NFC-enabled? Qfuse allows you to generate QR codes that link to the exact same places as the NFC tags do; ensuring your entire audience is covered, no matter what phone they carry. As well, the software-as-a-service allows you to pass along the data from your NFC codes to other programs, including Salesforce. Data are one of a business’s most important tools—and can be highly effective when used properly.
NFC isn’t a new technology – it’s been around in Android phones for a while now. According to Statista, Apple has about 19.8 per cent of the mobile market, so far in 2014. And since Apple is so good at advertising its features, NFC is on the verge of booming – meaning now is the best time to get ahead of your competitors and get started with NFC and Qfuse.
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Carol Hansson 
