Smart stickers, or programmable tags, are low-cost pieces of paper or plastic that can communicate with gadgets via a short-range radio technology called near field communication, or NFC. They can be customized to trigger an action on any phone with an NFC chip. According to IHS iSuppli, 186 million NFC-enabled phones will be shipped in 2012, up from 93 million last year. The tags can be purchased through various websites; either bare-bones for a few dollars a piece or $20 or more dollars a piece for tags pre-programmed to do a specific task. Amazon is soon expected to offer the tags with varying program options.
The business potential for smart stickers is tremendous. Use of these stickers is a fresh and intuitive way to attrack smart phone users. Smart Stickers can be attached to shop windows or doors for an eye-catching ‘call to action’ to engage consumers. Smartphone users can ‘tap’ their mobile phone to retrieve details of a property from real estate agents, download a restaurant’s menu, call a taxi or claim an incentive voucher relating to a window advertisement even when the business is closed. The possibilities are only limited by a business’s imagination.
Guru technologies already has the know-how to program Smart Stickers. We are looking forward to opportunities to work with companies on the cutting edge, looking for innovative ways to market to customers.
Source information:
- Bloomberg Businessweek July 16-July 22, 2012 issue “Plastering the World with Smart Stickers”
- https://news.yahoo.com/smart-poster-ltd-launches-nfc-smart-stickers-080001576.html