NFC to Power up Retail Consumer Engagement and Experience: Study

WAKEFIELD, MA: In a study by Strategy Analysis, commissioned by the NFC Forum; identifying the trends for improving consumer communication and engagement, NFC technology came out with flying colors.

In the study which includes both observational research of retail scenarios comprising 36 respondents and a web survey of nearly 1,000 participants, NFC was preferred more than Bluetooth Beacons and QR codes.

"Smart phones continue to change the way we live, interact – and shop," says Paula Hunter, Executive Director, NFC Forum. "For decades, retailers have been working to leverage technology to improve customer experiences and engagement under the ever-evolving digital model – all with varying degrees of success."

The study came up with six different scenarios where retailers and merchants can deploy NFC technology to boost up in-store experiences, generate sales, as well as enhance customer loyalty and trust. Consumers were interested with scope of NFC being used in: getting the best out of store deals, store Wi-Fi, and rewards accounts; multimedia content and real-time store inventory; information about related products.

Consumers also responded to the need and advantages of a digital, NFC-enabled shopping cart on their phones; product information for large purchases and exact refill cartridge information and one-touch reorder capability.

Other significant findings of the study include:

• Over 75% of respondents who used NFC were very satisfied with their experience.
• More than 75% of respondents indicated an interest in viewing additional product information including inventory and availability via NFC.
• Over 60% were interested in an NFC-enabled mobile shopping cart in-store experience and using NFC to order the replacement parts or accessories for products, such as ink and toner cartridges for printers.

"NFC is preferred because it's fast, efficient, and offers greater control," continues Hunter. "With more than 500 million NFC-enabled phones in the market today and more than a billion by the end of this year, retailers would be wise to take advantage of NFC's superior performance to immediately improve consumer engagement in many other aspects of the retail experience."