Will NFC Technology Replace QR Codes?

NFC Technology - Is it the next big thing?

Will NFC Technology replace QR codes?  The interest in NFC has increased significantly since Samsung released the Galaxy S3, S4, and Samsung Galaxy Note phones.

Aside from Samsung's use and promotion of NFC Technology to transfer data between mobile devices, it has also gained popularity in the area of marketing. Samsung has an awesome NFC campaign that involves posters enabled with NFC tags that allow users to download songs by tapping their phone on the posters.

 NFC

As I stated in a previous blog post about Samsung's use of NFC, I feel this is an awesome campaign and great use of NFC tags for marketing.

The question remains, "Will NFC Technology replace QR Codes?"

Before we answer this, let's look at some of the functionality available with NFC and QR codes.



NFC tags:

• Share contact information


• Direct users to URL


• Update Status on Social Media sites


• Make a call


• Send a text message


• Check ins


• Show address or location


• Tags must be manufactured and purchased from a store (online, bricks and mortar)


• Requires an NFC enabled phone.

Purchase NFC Tags for your Samsung Galaxy Note, S3, and S4

QR Codes:

• Share contact information


• Direct users to URL


• Update Status on Social Media sites


• Make a call


• Send a text message


• Check ins


• Show address or location


• Can be printed on virtually any type of material (paper, stickers, shirts, hats, etc.)


• Can be created free on virtually any type of computer


• Can be printed on virtually any type of printer


• QR code readers are free and can be downloaded from any app store for virtually any smartphone.

As you can see, the lists are very similar...except for the cost. There is an initial cost associated with implementing a Near Field Communication technology or NFC campaign. On the other hand, QR codes are free to create and print and, in my opinion, make them a top choice for any size business that wants to try them with minimal investment.

I see the benefits of using both, and at this time I do not feel that NFC tags will replace QR codes, but there may be some cases where they can be used together.



NFC - Near Field Communication Click or tap here to learn more about Near Field Communication or NFC




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