Smart posters and mobile marketing, rather than payments, will prove to be the biggest applications for near field communication (NFC) within the foreseeable future, says a report from ABI Research.

Already, posters and marketing account for over half of NFC tags shipped, and by 2016 the firm believes that 70 percent of shipments will be for those applications.

“There are a number of high-profile technology companies already rolling out smart posters and information pick-up using NFC,” said John Devlin, group director for security and ID at the firm. “Companies such as Google, Nokia, and RIM [the BlackBerry maker], as well as innovative mobile network operators, are all exploring new business models and looking for the revenue opportunities outside of payments.

“The ability of NFC to extend companies’ brands and mobile apps, making them more interactive within their physical surroundings, will allow them to improve customer loyalty and service experience.”

And NFC will likely replace QR codes, suggested Mark Bartlett, managing director of Signbox, producer of the Enlighten NFC-enabled smart posters (pictured).

“QR codes can be viewed as just a stopgap until the number of NFC-enabled smartphones in use reach a critical mass, and that will not be far away,” said Bartlett, predicting that the technology will be present in 30 percent of smartphones by 2015.

www.abiresearch.com
www.signbox.co.uk

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