Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is fast becoming one of the most commercially savvy forms of communication for organisations that want to deliver instant, contactless marketing messages easily and seamlessly to their consumers on demand.

NFC smart posters are spearheading this pioneering technology, enabling smartphone owners to interact with their organisations of choice by downloading information directly to their mobile device with a single swipe across the distinctive NFC logo. The driving force behind this process is the unpowered, passive NFC chip or ‘tag’ that is held within the smart poster and recognised by NFC-enabled smartphones when held close to the tag or ‘touchpoint’.

In contrast to a Quick Response Code (QR Code), the NFC tag is readable and writeable and the data it holds can easily be modified to update a marketing message or the information to be downloaded to the smartphone. Typically holding from 96 to 4,096 bytes of memory, NFC tags are a secure data retention tool that can store a diverse range of information, from URLs, payment details, loyalty programme details, contacts, personalised marketing messages and other data.

Rewriting the data contained on the NFC tag is a simple process can be carried out with an NFC tag reader/writer ready to be installed back onto the NFC smart poster whenever a message needs to be updated or changed. However, it is worth noting that NFC tags are extremely low-cost consumable items and batches of tags are usually supplied with a custom NFC smart poster to enable the organisation to simply replace rather than rewrite when the need arises. In view of the dramatic rise in NFC technology, the manufacture of NFC tags is expected to increase into the billions, so the focus for manufacturers is on developing, low-cost, high performance disposable tags.