Here in the United States we have been talking about NFC payment systems and how great it will be when we can get it all up and running. Meanwhile, in the UK, McDonalds has been doing. That’s right; while we were talking about it, McDonald’s restaurants over in the UK were getting their NFC contactless payment systems set up.
By the end of this month McDonalds should have all of their UK stores set up with the NFC payment systems. They have all ready started working on a way to utilize the NFC for marketing and loyalty programs, so watch for that to follow shortly as well.
Several other fast food restaurants in the UK all ready have NFC payment systems implemented, and are marketing the new technology heavily to make the public aware that it’s there, and increase usage. One of the marketing points is how using the new system can shorten a customer’s wait time.
Another method of marketing will be to use smart posters. These are posters with NFC chips embedded in them. When a customer gets within transmitting range (usually less than twelve inches) the NFC tag in the poster can signal your Smartphone to let you know it has a special deal, web links, coupon or other cool stuff for you.
Some have suggested that restaurants use the NFC tags to put their menus on; it would save on printing costs, be easier to change and can be instantly accessed by a customer’s Smartphone. This is just one example of the many ways that NFC tags can be used to interact with customers, and help increase loyalty to your business.
In setting up the NFC payment systems most merchants will have a small, wireless card reader near a checkout area. The customer just needs to swipe their NFC enabled Smartphone over the reader to pay their ticket, and they will even get an electronic receipt. The London Underground travel system uses a similar method for their contactless payment system.
