In the first part of this series on wearable technology, I looked at how advancements in wearable tech are going to continue to increase mobility and efficiency in business. Wearable tech isn’t just going to have advantages in the workplace, but will also allow for advancements in sales and marketing.

Near Field Communication

QR Codes are already a thing – simply scan and you get product info, be it nutritional values or concert dates. However, they’re a very passive technology. What if you could interact with data in a fluid manner? Near field communication (NFC) is a technology being expanded to make sales and marketing more interactive. In fact, NFC is already being utilized in apps like Google Wallet.

Not to bore anyone with the geek side of this tech (although I happen to be immersed in it by choice!), here’s a little more about it: Designed for use by devices within close proximity to one another, NFC creates a radio frequency connection that communicates with another NFC device or tag with the information the reader wants. NFC has the ability to be active (similar to an RFID chip, but more secure, they say), as well as allow for peer to peer communication through two active devices.

So, let’s put NFC to work for us in wearables. Let’s take something like the Innovega iOptikTM with a heads up display and pair it with NFC technology. Then, let’s make NFC tags standard in product packaging. By simply holding a product within a given proximity to your eye, the price of the item – and perhaps even online consumer ratings – will pop up in your line of sight. And there’s no reason this proximity transfer of information can’t make it into smart watches or other wearables; it’s already being used in cell phones to transfer contact information and data files!

Shopping Made Easy

How many of us dislike the in-store shopping experience? I mean, it took me like 2 years to find new jeans because I hated how many pairs I had to try on. I’d get four pairs in and call it quits.

Looking back to a couple of the technologies in the works that I discussed in my first part of this series, they have incredible abilities to be applicable to the shopping experience, as well. Let’s take Google Glass and Microsoft HoloLens into the store experience. With specs (including extra details like fabric malleability) chipped into a tag or programmed into the barcode, a consumer could scan the item and project it either onto a 3D image of themselves or see it on their person via a special mirror.

Or, take something like ModiFace (already being used at Sephora in Milan) or Panasonic’s Augmented Reality Makeup Mirror. Put this technology to use in a clothing store and you eliminate not just the hassle of trying on clothes, but also the backend chore of hours of time spend cleaning up dressing rooms. It’s a win-win for the store and the customer with the store saving money on staffing and the customer saving time in the store.

The horizons of wearable tech are shining brightly. Stay tuned for more in this series:

  • Business
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Medicine
  • Education
  • Design & Product Development