A Creative Use of NFC
Posted on by Timothy Boyle
NFC technology is not limited to only payment methods and eWallets—though these are great uses for the technology. In fact, there are thousands, if not millions of other potential uses for NFC. These uses might be for your own personal use, for example setting your alarm on your phone at night, or it might be for your current business, perhaps to drive you social media presence, or perhaps it is some new business idea like the one I will highlight in this blog.
It is likely that everyone reading this article has at one point in time bought gumballs or other candy from a gumball machine. You put in your quarter and you get back some small amount of non-mother approved treats. Well, Razorfish came out with the modern version of this technology, and used NFC to do it.
What Razorfish created, was a potential new way to bring the physical worlds together with the digital world. In order to do this they took a gumball machine and re-designed it so that when you put your quarter into the machine it activates the NFC tag inside, transferring purchasing options to your phone. The “digital goods” that are transferred and can then be selected for download to your phone and consist of mobile apps, movies, songs, eBooks and other “exclusive and location-based content that can be pushed to a phone.” A great deal for only a quarter!
The video screen on this modern gumball machine gives the consumer instructions on how to use the machine, and also gives it a modern feel. Razorfish, using NFC technology, has created the modern version of the candy machine, and potentially a whole new industry. Soon they will be in every super market and mall across the country… Ok, that is probably unlikely, but it would be pretty awesome if that were the case.
This is just one of the potential millions of examples that are possible with this relatively new technology. If you are looking for a way to start some new business, increase the outreach and sales of your current company, or simply desire to improve the efficiency of your own personal life, NFC is likely your tool. Just make sure you have a platform that can help ensure you do it right and follow best practices.
http://vimeo.com/razorfishee/nfcgumball
