NFC technology: The appetite exists but not the knowledge – Clear Channel and Posterscope release indepth NFC research insight

To find out more about how, where and why consumers interact with NFC in context of Out-of-Home media, Clear Channel and Posterscope commissioned an indepth research study into the perception and adoption of the technology.

Emma Newman, Marketnig Director, Clear Channel, said: “This research gives us great insight into where consumers stand currently hence enabling us help clients and brands to address consumer needs.”

There is every sign that Near-Field Communication (NFC) ─ a wireless technology that allows individuals to make transactions, exchange digital content or connect with other NFC electronic devices ─ will become commonplace as it is incorporated into more mobile devices than ever before, and is increasingly adopted for everyday usage. To find out more about how, where and why consumers interact with NFC in context of Out-of-Home media, Clear Channel and Posterscope commissioned an indepth research study into the perception and adoption of the technology.

The study, conducted in Feb 2012 in the UK and USA, consisted of almost 1,000 online interviews with smartphone owners who had used at least one of the following seven technologies on their devices: Quick Reader (QR) codes, Mobile Bluetooth, Barcode Scanner, Augmented Reality, Visual Search, NFC and Mobile payments. In addition, half of the respondents had used at least one of the technologies to interact directly with advertising.

Some of the key findings were:

• The general public need to be educated on the technology. The research demonstrated that 60% of smartphone owners were unsure whether their phones were NFC enabled or not. However, awareness of NFC technology itself was higher.
• When NFC was demonstrated, the number of respondents’ who stated that the importance of having NFC functionality on their next phone doubled from 36% to 70%.
• 54% of respondents stated that using NFC technology to interact with posters would be useful.
• The top reasons given for interaction with NFC-enabled posters were ‘downloading vouchers/special offers’, ‘getting local information’, ‘easy access to web content’ and ‘comparing prices’.
• 57% of respondents’ stated that if they saw an OOH advertisement that interested them, they would be likely to use NFC for purchasing. This applied to multiple product categories.

Emma Newman, Marketnig Director, Clear Channel, said: “We were delighted to work with Posterscope on this joint research to get to the core of what consumers think of NFC. What is clear is that although NFC has broad awareness, consumers are seeking more detailed guidance on its potential. This research gives us great insight into where consumers stand currently hence enabling us help clients and brands to address consumer needs.”

James Davies, Chief Strategy Officer, Posterscope, said “There have been lots of forecasts and research around the proliferation of NFC-enabled phones but very little regarding consumer adoption and what might motivate them to use NFC. This study shows that once the benefits of NFC are clearly explained, there is an appetite from consumers to interact with NFC enabled posters to connect, share, download and even buy using this technology”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Clear Channel

Elaine Bailey +44 (0)207 4782941

Posterscope

Russell Smither +44 (0) 20 7863 2009

Notes to Editors
Total sample size was 992 adults aged 16+ split UK (550), USA (442).

The research was conducted by Dipsticks Research in the UK and uSamp in the USA.

About Clear Channel UK

Clear Channel UK enables brands to meet and engage with people when they’re out and about. Our expertise, gained over 40 years, means we understand how to showcase powerful and effective campaigns through our investment in the highest quality sites, new technologies and the latest planning tools. Our partnerships with advertisers, agencies, local authorities, major multiples, shopping malls and major landlords have created a national network of 60,000 sites that reaches people in the public social space, drives footfall and generates word of mouth.

About Posterscope

Posterscope is the world’s leading Out-of-Home communications agency. They know more about how consumers behave when they are out-of-home than anyone else. Posterscope have been involved in pioneering trials to understand how consumers will use emerging technologies in their mobile devices, and understand the connection between out-of-home, mobiles and the online world. Posterscope has 48 offices around the world and buys over $2.1bn worth of out-of-home advertising space per year.