Not in-store yet, outdoor and travel brands are extending the potential interaction with consumers through the adoption of innovative technology that would once have been seen as irrelevant to product performance and brand communication.
VerifiR works with brands and retailers to integrate the most advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) smart chips into their products. After the chips have been put in place, they can then use VerifiR’s award-winning, cloud-based software and data management platform to manage the products, customer details, bespoke experiences and offerings created for them.
This year, Deuter, one of the world’s leading backpack manufacturers, was honoured at ISPO, the world’s largest sporting goods trade show, with the prestigious ISPO Award in the digital category for its development of the new AViANT backpack range with integrated VerifiR technology. These connected backpacks impressed the judges who noted the authentication functionality as well as being able to track down its original owner in the event of the bag getting lost and found.
Featuring the interactive functionality of the consumer experience, the focus extended beyond retail sales. The judges liked the ability of the VerifiR technology to aid Deuter in tracking these products through their supply chain, allowing them to reduce product diversion and grey market imports, challenge counterfeiters and giving them greater control and visibility over retail channels.
Eagle Creek will be integrating NFC into its new Caldera Collection travel bags, allowing travellers to log and share the miles they cover. In what would seem to be unfeasible not so long ago, with the tap of a phone, Eagle Creek will leverage NFC technology from VerifiR to offer secure, personalised interactions with the bag.
Users who opt-in access a dashboard that tracks their miles travelled and unlock new experiences provided by Eagle Creek and its partners. Plus, if the bag is lost, the VerifiR NFC chip provides a ‘lost and found’ functionality which will enable bag owners to locate their bag.
Eagle Creek President Roger Spatz noted, “This is the most sustainable collection we’ve ever made—and also the most innovative. The Caldera Collection allows consumers to connect with travel in a whole new way. One tap of a smartphone unlocks new product experiences, such as lost and found capabilities, warranty and support information, and a social dashboard that logs shareable info—like miles traveled and destinations visited.”
Caldera owners will be able to track their own data privately and share travel achievements, if desired. NFC technology will also connect consumers with interactive product and sourcing information, an interactive web experience, warranty information and social media.
Traynor On The Trail 