Category: Featured News

Kraft Foods trials NFC tags against QR codes

| October 22, 2012

 Kraft Foods tests capabilities of mobile marketing tools

Consumer goods giant Kraft Foods has been quietly trialing NFC technology and QR codes over the last few months. The company has taken note of the growing popularity surrounding NFC technology and has been using tags embedded with NFC chips to market certain products. These NFC tags have been used alongside QR codes which have been implemented for the same purpose. The two marketing tools were pitted against one another to determine which was more effective with consumers.

NFC wins in popularity, but not in accessibility

Kraft Foods has finished its trail and found that NFC tags are indeed more popular than QR codes. According to Kraft Foods, NFC tags are more attuned to mobile shoppers than QR codes because they are easier to use. The trial took place at five, high traffic grocery stores in San Francisco, California. A multitude of Kraft products, as well as those from its subsidiaries, featured both NFC tags and QR codes that provided shoppers with information regarding the products and, in some cases, discounts. Kraft Foods notes that engagement with the NFC tags was nearly twelve times greater than engagement with QR codes.

NFC tags only available to those with capable mobile devicesQR Codes vs NFC Tags

NFC tags may have been able to beat out QR codes in terms of popularity, but they were not able to compete in terms of affordability and accessibility. NFC tags are somewhat more expensive than QR codes, considering the fact that QR codes can be generated for free. The codes can also be scanned by any mobile device that has a camera and a code scanning application. NFC tags can only be accessed by NFC-enabled mobile devices, which are still very rare. Furthermore, using NFC tags would alienate the entirety of consumers with Apple mobile devices, as none of these devices supports NFC technology.

QR codes remain leader of mobile marketing tools

While NFC may be a more engaging marketing tool than QR codes, the audience for NFC tags is still very limited. For this reason, QR codes are expected to remain the most favored mobile marketing tool in the business, at least until more consumers get their hands on NFC-enabled mobile devices. Few companies have been won over by the advertising prospects of NFC technology, nonetheless, so QR codes may remain dominant even after NFC-enabled devices become popular.

Apple may be working on an alternative to NFC technology

| October 21, 2012

 

Apple NewsApple awarded patent for new technology

Apple may have caught a lot of flak for not including NFC technology in the iPhone 5, but the company’s decision to forgo the technology does not mean it is not interested in NFC. The next iteration of the iPhone may be equipped with NFC technology, or a nearly identical technology that is developed by Apple itself. This is according to a new patent that has been awarded to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Company receives harsh criticism for decision to avoid NFC technology

NFC technology is all the rage in the mobile world right now because of its capabilities in commerce and data exchange. Samsung has made headlines with its NFC-enabled Galaxy S III and Apple fans were hoping that the new iPhone would be able to compete on the same level as Samsung’s latest device. Apple fans were disappointed, however, when the company announced that the iPhone 5 would not be equipped with NFC technology. This led to harsh criticisms, but Apple is not abandoning the technology entirely like many have speculated.

Patent highlights technology very similar to NFC

According to the new patent, Apple is currently developing a device that makes use of a proximity technology, either NFC or one developed by the company itself. If the patent is not in reference to NFC technology, Apple will be developing something very similar that is capable of facilitating wireless data transfers between mobile devices. Speculation suggests that this technology would be included in the next version of the iPhone.

New technology may be suitable for Apple’s interests in mobile commerce

Apple chose to sidestep NFC technology due to concerns regarding security. The technology itself does not boast of any stellar security features, leading Apple to believe that its use in mobile commerce and data exchange is too ambitious. If Apple decides to develop its own technology, it will likely feature a variety of security measures that will make its use in mobile commerce more viable and appealing to consumers worries about the protection of their financial information.