In today's competitive hospitality industry, providing a memorable and personalised customer experience is key to standing out from the crowd.

One innovative technology that is revolutionising customer interactions is the Near Field Communication (NFC) tag. By incorporating NFC tags into your business, you can unlock a whole new level of interactivity, convenience, and engagement for your customers. On this page, we will explore how NFC tags are transforming the hospitality industry and discuss the benefits that a Refresh Prints SmartScan bar mat would bring to your business and your customers.

What are NFC tags?

NFC tags are small, wireless devices that use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to transmit information to NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. These tags can be embedded in various objects and locations, creating touchpoints for customers to access relevant information or perform specific actions.

What can NFC-enabled bar mats do?

Our NFC-enabled SmartScan bar mats can be programmed to allow customers to quickly access digital menus, browse through detailed descriptions, and launch websites directly from their smartphones. This can eliminate the need for physical menus, reduce waiting times, and enhance the overall efficiency of your service.

With a little more programming, the tags in our SmartScan bar mats can be set up to perform more intricate tasks and actions.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

Personalised Recommendations and Offers

By integrating NFC tags into a loyalty program, you could provide personalised recommendations and exclusive offers to your customers. When customers tap their smartphones on your SmartScan bar mat, they could receive tailored suggestions based on their previous preferences and purchase history. This level of personalisation could enhance customer satisfaction, encourage repeat visits, and potentially boost customer loyalty. 

Interactive Experiences and Information

NFC tags can enable interactive experiences by providing additional information about exhibits, displays, or points of interest within your building. For example, in a wedding or seated meal occasion, a SmartScan mat could be repurposed for a counter top rather than a bar top, and be placed near entrances to offer a digital seating plan, bespoke audio, or even a video greeting from the hosts of the occasion, creating an immersive experience for your guests.

 

FAQ

Q: Do all smartphones have built-in NFC technology?

A: While most new smartphones today have NFC capabilities at launch, it is not built in to all phones. Older phones may have been launched before the technology existed or before it was utilised by a particular manufacturer. NFC is usually 'always on' in most new iPhones, and can be toggled on or off in most Android phones.

Finding your phone's built-in NFC point can also be crucial to seamless use - iPhones tend to activate their NFC towards the top speaker/Face ID camera, while Samsung phones tend to activate their NFC in the centre of their body.

Q: Is the NFC tag always switched on?

A: In order to activate, the NFC tag draws a small amount of power from the device that tries to read it. Holding your smartphone near the NFC-enabled area for a short period of time is the best way to trigger a response.  Please note, any device programmed to use NFC technology (such as mobile credit/debit card readers) will try to interact with your mat if you put the two items too close to each other.

Q: How many NFC tags can I have in one mat?

A: Our SmartScan bar mats allow for single and double touchpoints within any 1 mat.  If you opt for a single touchpoint, you can choose whether to have your NFC tag in the top left or top right corner of the mat, prior to ordering.

Q: Does my NFC-enabled bar mat come pre-programmed?

A: If you wish! We have provided blank text fields for you to tell us which web links you would like your customers directed to, and we can pre-programme any cards before we dispatch. We can also provide a brief guide that explains the best way to reprogram the tags, or program them yourself from scratch!

Q: Are your NFC-enabled mats washable like your other mats?

A: Yes! Any NFC tags can be easily removed and reattached to our mats, allowing you to wash them the same way you would wash any mat purchased on bar-mats.co.uk.

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As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, leveraging NFC tags provides a multitude of benefits for businesses and customers alike. By integrating one of our NFC-enabled mats, you can potentially enhance the customer experience, streamline operations, and foster greater customer loyalty.

Whether it's simplifying your ordering process, providing personalised recommendations, or offering interactive experiences, NFC tags open up a world of possibilities to create memorable and engaging interactions.

Embrace the power of NFC tags and unlock the future of interactive hospitality today with an NFC-enabled bar mat from bar-mats.co.uk and Refresh Prints.

Click here to shop our mats!