Physical vs. Digital Business Card Solutions (+Why Uniqode Wins Over Mobilo)

Whether you decide to go completely digital in your networking or adhere to a physical medium, you will certainly find a dedicated solution suited to your needs.

However, one vital question remains: Are you better off with a physical business card platform, or should you opt for a 100% digital business card solution for your networking efforts?

To help you decide better, this guide will compare the most popular physical (Mobilo) and 100% digital (Uniqode) business card solutions. 

Mobilo offers NFC-based business cards, which require you to initially opt for a physical card. 

In contrast, Uniqode provides users with 100% digital business cards. It does not rely on any physical medium, making its cards more cost-effective and convenient to use.

Through this post, we will deep dive into why a digital business card solution is always the smarter choice over a physical one. We will compare Mobilo and Uniqode to help define clear distinctions between physical and digital business card platforms.

Table of contents

1. Why choose a digital business card solution over a physical one
2. Mobilo vs. Uniqode: Side-by-side comparison
3. Frequently asked questions

4 Reasons why you should choose a digital business card solution over a physical one

1. Physical business cards compel you to carry a physical medium
2. Digital business cards enable virtual and contactless card sharing
3. Digital business cards are faster and easier to create
4. Digital business cards are more cost-effective

#1 Physical business card solutions compel you to carry a physical medium

You might have encountered the term smart business cards.

Smart business cards are simply NFC business cards that use near-field communication (NFC) technology. 

For NFC-business cards to work, they must rely on a physical medium (typically a PVC card). Your recipient must tap the NFC tag embedded in this medium using a mobile device to access the business card content.

As is evident, opting for this approach compels you to carry your NFC business card’s physical component at all times to maximize your card’s reach and avoid missing out on networking opportunities. 

In contrast, purely digital business cards (or virtual business cards), which you create using a digital business card solution such as Uniqode, operate 100% virtually and does not require you to initially opt for any physical medium. 

As long as you carry your mobile device, your digital business card (as an Apple/Google Wallet pass or a QR Code) is available to share with a potential customer.

#2 Digital business card solutions enable virtual and contactless card sharing

Physical business card solutions typically confine card-sharing to face-to-face interactions. 

For instance, you can only share an NFC during in-person networking scenarios. Your recipients must physically tap your NFC business card with their mobile device to access and save your card details. 

In comparison, Uniqode’s digital business card solution lets you share your card through any virtual channel you wish, such as an Apple Wallet pass (or Google Wallet pass), QR Code, or URL, for instant and contactless card sharing.

Further reading: How to send a digital business card and network digitally

#3 Digital business cards are faster and easier to create

Each physical business card you purchase from your chosen solution must undergo production and delivery before arriving at your doorstep. 

If your organization uses complex procurement procedures, this entire process, from start to finish, can take up to 30 days. 

To avoid such long turnaround times, opt for a digital business card solution. A specialized platform will let you create digital business cards within minutes, without requiring you to download any additional app. 

This quick and streamlined creation process applies whether you make a standalone virtual business card for yourself or create them in bulk for your team members.

You can bulk-create up to 2,000 digital business cards in less than 5 minutes with Uniqode’s digital business card solution.

#4 Digital business cards are more cost-effective

Digital business card solutions are always more cost-effective than physical ones. 

For instance, Mobilo’s physical business cards come at a one-time cost of $10 for a single custom-designed card ($19.50 if you choose the Personal plan). This amount only covers the NFC-powered physical card and the associated business card content.

If you wish to use Mobilo’s other crucial features, such as API integrations and lead data enrichment, you will have to pay an additional yearly cost of $10 for each add-on (in addition to user licenses).

A digital business card solution such as Uniqode comes at $4-6 per user/month. Crucial functionalities, such as lead collection via digital business cards, integrations, and card analytics, are included out of the box (depending on your chosen plan).

Mobilo vs. Uniqode: Side-by-side comparison

This table shows the key differences between a physical (Mobilo) and a digital (Uniqode) business card solution feature-wise.

Hopefully, this feature-based comparison will help you decide which type of business card solution best suits you and your organization’s requirements.

If you decide to go 100% digital in your networking, we recommend you check out our guide on the 6 best digital business card solutions available today.

Frequently asked questions  

What are the main advantages of going 100% digital with my business cards?

Here are the top digital business card benefits you can use to maximize your networking ROI: 

1. Share as much information as you require; your networking is not bound to a restricted content space.
2. Create your digital business cards within minutes instead of waiting for lengthy printing and delivery turnaround times.
3. Use various digital sharing methods to widen your reach, including Apple or Google Wallet, business card QR Code, and URL.
4. Monitor your digital business card’s engagement performance with card-scan tracking and analytics.
5. Update your digital business card as and when required at the back end.
6. Network in a paperless, sustainable, and eco-friendly manner.
7. Provide an interactive business card experience to your recipients for increased convenience and conversions.
8. Eliminate the printing and re-printing costs associated with paper business cards.
9. Your digital business card stays with you always, and you can share it unlimited times.

What is the future of business cards?

In today’s tech-driven networking, digital business cards have begun to outpace their traditional, physical counterparts. 

Comparing search trends between paper and digital business cards shows the latter has surpassed the former in search popularity by almost 3x in the last two years. This massive difference in interest and popularity makes it clear that digital business cards are the future of networking.

Source: Google Trends (US)

How much can I save when I choose digital business cards over physical ones?

The average annual cost to print paper business cards in the US is $194 per employee. Let’s assume that you have 500 employees in your organization. As per this average cost, your organization’s total business card expenses per year can reach approximately $95,000.

Digital business cards come at a fraction of this cost. For instance, with Uniqode, your annual expenses for the same 500 employees will only cost you $12,000 – $15,000 (depending on your chosen digital business card pricing plan). You can save as much as 87% on your organization’s annual business card expenses.

• Author Details

Author Details

Reuben Isidoro

Reuben is a Content Marketer who helps businesses drive audience engagement and conversions through compelling content narratives. Currently, he explores the impact of simple yet innovative business tools, such as digital business cards, on organizational ROI.

https://www.uniqode.com/blog/

reuben.j@uniqode.com