Avant-garde marketers realized very early on that NFC, as a technology, has more potential than just initiating cardless payments. Having NFC-enabled products in the store is analogous to having a store assistant waiting on individual customers paving the way for a more personalized shopping experience. Not to mention, the consumer is in charge and can decide which campaigns to interact instead of being bombarded with unsolicited advertisements.
Here are 6 impressive NFC marketing campaigns that you can learn from
NFC is particularly enticing to marketers because it does not require an additional app to be downloaded and both the latest Android smartphones and iPhones support third-party NFC tags.
Can my iPhone read NFC tags?
All iPhones are equipped with the ability to use NFC to pay using the Apple Wallet. iPhone 6 and above can read NFC tags with an app and the latest iPhones – iPhone XS, XS max and XR can read NFC tags without needing to download an app.
Here’s a complete list of iPhones that are compatible with NFC:
Model | NFC chip | Can read NFC with an app | Can read NFC without an app |
iPhone 11, 11 Pro/Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
iPhone XS, XS Max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
iPhone XR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
iPhone X | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 8 | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 8+ | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 7 | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 7+ | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 5SE | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 6S | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 6S+ | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 6 | Yes | Yes | |
iPhone 6+ | Yes | Yes |
How to use NFC on iPhone
Tap the back of the iPhone on an NFC tag to open the associated marketing campaign. Consumers can then leave their feedback, subscribe to social media, buy products online, visit a custom URL or get promo codes.
Android smartphones that can scan NFC
All the latest Android smartphones can scan NFC without an app but there are a few older models that do not support NFC.
Here is a comprehensive list of Android smartphones that are compatible with NFC –
Manufacturer and Model | Has NFC chip | Reads NFC |
Pixel 2, 2XL | Yes | Yes |
Pixel, Pixel XL | Yes | Yes |
Samsung | ||
Galaxy S9, S9+ | Yes | Yes |
Galaxy S8, S8+ | Yes | Yes |
Galaxy S7, S7Edge | Yes | Yes |
Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ | Yes | Yes |
Galaxy S5, S4, SIII | Yes | Yes* |
Huawei | ||
P20, P20 Pro, P20 Lite | Yes | Yes |
P10, P10 Plus, P10 Lite | Yes | Yes |
Xiaomi | ||
Mi8, Mi6X, Mi6 | Yes | Yes |
Mi5,Mi5s, Mi5 Plus | Yes | Yes |
Mi Mix, Mi Mix2, Mi Mix 2S | Yes | Yes |
One Plus | ||
6, T5, 5, 3T, 3, One | Yes | Yes |
Motorola | ||
Moto Z3 Play | Yes | Yes |
Moto E5/Plus, Moto E5 Play/Go | Yes* | Yes* |
Moto G6/Plus/Play | Yes* | Yes* |
Moto X4 | Yes | Yes |
Moto E4 Plus, Moto G5/G5S Plus | Yes* | Yes* |
LG | ||
Q8, Q7, G7 ThinQ | Yes | Yes |
V35 ThinQ, Q Stylus, Q Stylo 4, V30 ThinQ | Yes | Yes |
G6, V30 | Yes | Yes |
Q6 | Yes* | Yes* |
K10, V20, G5 | Yes | Yes |
G3, Nexus 5X, V10, G4 | Yes | Yes |
Essential | ||
PH-1 | Yes | Yes |
Nokia | ||
6.1, 8 Sirocco, 7 Plus, 5.1 | Yes | Yes |
8, 6, 5, 3 | Yes | Yes |
3.1 | Yes* | Yes* |
Sony | ||
Xperia XA2/Ultra/Plus | Yes | Yes |
Xperia XZ2/Compact/Premium | Yes | Yes |
Xperia XA1/Ultra/Plus | Yes | Yes |
Xperia XZ1/Compact | Yes | Yes |
HTC | ||
U12+, U11 Eyes | Yes | Yes |
U11/Life/+ | Yes | Yes |
One (M8) | Yes* | Yes* |
One M9, Desire 10 Pro | Yes | Yes |
* – Region Specific |
Here is a quick Android NFC tutorial
From the phone’s Settings, enable NFC and tap the back of the phone on an NFC tag to open up the associated marketing campaign.
NFC compatibility with smartphones in 2019
The latest move by Apple that enables the latest iPhones to tap NFC tags without an additional app is telling of what the future of NFC is going to be like. The list of smartphones that support NFC is growing every day and there are already over 2 billion NFC enabled devices across the world across according to NFC forum. Analysts predict that the NFC market will grow 17.9 percent over the next 10 years and be valued at $50 billion by 2025.
Start NFC marketing for your business with Beaconstac today. Schedule a demo to talk to our proximity marketing expert to get started. Looking for a similar solution that doesn’t require an app? Get started here.
[…] NFC technology: Just like QR codes. NFC tags do not require an app to read. iPhone XS, XS Max and XR can natively read third-party NFC tags. Older models of iPhone need an app. Most Android phones can also natively read an NFC tag. Here’s the complete list of phones compatible with NFC […]
[…] NFC technology: Just like QR codes. NFC tags do not require an app to read. iPhone XS, XS Max and XR can natively read third-party NFC tags. Older models of iPhone need an app. Most Android phones can also natively read an NFC tag. Here’s the complete list of phones compatible with NFC […]