NFC Vs. Mobile Bar Codes – The Most Pointless Debate In Mobile Marketing

September 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

Robert Russell, product management lead, AT&T Mobile Marketing Solutions

As near-field communication (NFC) grows in popularity, retailers will seize upon the benefits of combining it with QR codes to enhance mobile-marketing strategies.

These days, it seems like you can’t read a mobile-marketing story without seeing the various pros and cons of QR codes and NFC technology. Which one has a future, and which one is toast? As we see with many things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, since they are distinct technologies with different applications that can enhance marketing when deployed correctly.

NFC is still in its infancy in terms of overall consumer adoption, but will likely grow dramatically as more NFC phones are released to the market. By 2016, NFC is expected to be a $617 billion market with 448 million users worldwide, according to a May 2012 Gartner study. The inherent properties of NFC, such as ease of use, plus the expected ubiquity in a few years, means it has the potential to be a marketing home run.