adidas Looking to Enable Sneakers and Apparel with NFC Technology

Enough talk about the NFC capabilities in phones for easy payment, adidas is looking to incorporate the technology into your sneakers and apparel. The plans were unveiled at SXSW, during a panel with Jon Werner, an innovation specialist at adidas. The technology will enable sneakers, apparel and sports equipment to collect data, with over a billion potential touchpoints. The user can then use these touchpoints and receive shopping notifications on their smartphone or other devices when they walk into a store or event. For example, you would be able to walk into a store and tap an NFC-enabled shoe, and be able to find out more information. adidas is also looking to expand the technology with other uses, outside of shopping. For example, customer experience, exclusivity, and being able to add additional value to the customer’s purchase and shopping experience. adidas already released an NFC-enabled Boost running shoe in 2013, and is looking to release a limited run of Stan Smiths and Superstars.