Aquabit Spirals, a Tokyo-based startup company, is exclusively using Smartrac NFC tags to take offline products online, without the need for apps or online searching.
Aquabit Spirals is a Tokyo-based digital marketing company that has expanded its activities to include the creation of new, high-quality user experiences leveraging NFC technology. The company has invented an innovative approach to providing offline to online consumer experiences that looks set to revolutionize consumer adoption of the Internet of Things.
Launched in 2009, Aquabit Spirals is exclusively using Smartrac NFC tags such as BullsEye and Circus in many of its self-adhesive SmartPlate™ products. These small form factor tags can be deployed pretty much anywhere, transforming public spaces into marketplaces.
Information anytime, anywhere
Use cases already deployed in Japan include, for example, NFC tags attached to the hanging straps in commuter trains, which allow travelers to access special offers from retailers, travel information and much more – all at the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone.
One Japanese supermarket chain is using SmartPlates at the point of sale of fresh foods. When tapped with a smartphone, the food price label will show the shopper recipes for using that specific ingredient. Furthermore, SmartPlate can generate recommended content based on that user’s behavioral data, accumulated on a cloud server.
Even in the home, a fridge magnet from Pizza Hut isn’t simply an advertising gimmick – by tapping the NFC tag with your smartphone, you can get daily offers through fun features like a lucky draw and order a pizza to be delivered to your door. No special app is required, since the tag simply provides a hyperlink to the brand’s web-based content. This scheme simplifies the pizza delivery transaction in this case, and it can be used more widely to enhance user engagement with many brands at home.