Mobile marketing sees competition between QR codes and NFC
The world of marketing has changed with the rise of mobile technology. Advertisers began to adapt to this change years ago by adopting new ways to interact with mobile consumers. New technologies allow advertisers to engage these consumers in more dynamic ways. This has been the case with QR codes for several years now. The codes have won acclaim throughout the marketing world for their ability to engage mobile consumers. Now, however, the codes may be dethroned as mobile marketing champions by NFC technology.
NFC technology moving beyond commerce
NFC technology is most common in the realm of mobile commerce. The technology allows for data transmission over very short distances. This allows mobile devices to share information with one another in an efficient manner, which also translates into consumers having easy access to marketing campaigns that offer some form of online content. In mobile marketing, the technology is most often used in NFC tags, which can be accessed through an NFC-enabled mobile device.
NFC heralded as the future of mobile marketing
Several marketing firms have begun to embrace mobile marketing and NFC technology in an aggressive manner. Fusion92, a leading interactive marketing specialist, is one such firm that has been making use of NFC technology. The firm suggests that both QR codes and NFC are capable of accomplishing the same task of consumer engagement, but that NFC is much more effective in doing so. Fusion92 claims that NFC technology is easier to use for both businesses and consumers, and that more information can be made available through NFC tags than through QR codes.
QR codes may not be beaten so easily
While NFC technology has some benefits in the realm of mobile marketing, it is unlikely that it will come to replace QR codes. The codes may not win favor for their appearance, but they make up for this with their accessibility. Consumers need only install a simple QR code scanning application on their mobile devices in order to access the codes. NFC tags, however, can only be accessed by NFC-enabled mobile devices, which are still very rare in the market. Moreover, despite the seeming simplicity of NFC technology, it can be difficult for companies to implement and use effectively, whereas QR codes are markedly more user-friendly.
