Not content with trying to make the mere act of running easier for all , Adidas is now giving your shoes the ability to decide on your next major purchase for you, all via the magic of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The company has announced that it will be adding a “lace jewel” with an embedded NFC chip to its Boost running shoes, enabling shoppers with an NFC phone to tap it for detailed product information and to see reviews.
The system uses NFC specialist Thinaire‘s platform and is now live in stores in New York and California. The NFC jewels are branded, decorative tags which are threaded onto the shoe’s lace. On-shelf placards in stores inform customers that they can tap the jewel with their NFC phone for further information and store assistants are also being equipped with NFC phones which they can use to register a customer’s purchase.