Paperless future? NFC tech might eliminate paper receipts and tickets
The NFC Forum, a consortium that includes Apple, Google, Sony, and Qualcomm, is developing a "multi-purpose tap" concept to enhance transaction standards. This innovative idea aims to enrich and expedite transactions by integrating payments with other common interactions, such as applying customer discounts and adding loyalty points. The concept could also facilitate the transfer of receipts or product information directly to the user's phone.
A game changer for retail
The multi-purpose tap concept could revolutionize retail transactions, by automatically applying customer discounts and adding loyalty points during payment. It could also transfer receipts or product information, such as recycling instructions, directly to a customer's handset. This feature could eliminate the need for paper receipts, physical loyalty cards, or separate QR code scans and even verify a person's age for restricted purchases like alcohol.
Benefits for EV owners
The multi-purpose tap concept could also be beneficial for electric vehicle owners. By simply tapping their phone with the required charging station app against the terminal, they could start the vehicle charging process and simultaneously pay for it. This innovative feature would streamline the charging and payment process, making it more convenient for users.
A leap forward for public transit
The multi-purpose tap concept could revolutionize public transit by enabling a bi-directional exchange of information. This feature would allow the issuance of e-tickets that could be easily checked, and provide fares that take into account taxes and concessions. Fare collectors on public transport would be able to accept payments, and issue and validate tickets on the go, all with a single tap of a passenger's device on the inspector's phone.
What's the current status?
Currently, the NFC multi-purpose tap is in the ideation stage. The NFC Forum hopes that implementation will be seamless given people's familiarity with NFC. A unified standard like this might mean that merchants and other third parties don't have to separately optimize for iOS and Android. This development could enhance Google Pay, with Google Wallet presumably housing all these new features.
