Der intelligente Aufkleber: OTTO testet neuen Service-Button

How do I change the filter on my fully automated coffee machine? Which descaler should I use? Where can I find user-guidance videos and the recommended accessories for my appliance? Until now, the consumer was obliged to spend valuable time researching these issues with the manufacturer or in the store.OTTO customers will soon have answers to this kind of question in just a few seconds and be able to read them at a glance: the customer simply needs to hold up their smartphone to OTTO’s new service development – the Product Assistant. This is a square sticker, little larger than a 2 euro coin and is supported by NFC transmission technology. As soon as smartphone and sticker have established contact with each other, a service webpage with the key product information opens on the hand-held device connected to the Product Assistant. This even lets the customer order additional articles quickly and conveniently. Customers who don’t own an NFC-enabled device can call up the Product Assistant via the URL printed on the sticker.

“Our goal is to get close to the customer through the clever use of technology, to understand their wishes and to fulfil these as best we can. With the aid of the OTTO Product Assistant we’re currently testing an innovation which offers precisely this. With product-related questions, the button’s intuitive functionality enables a rapid flow of information as well as the simple ordering of additional products”, according to Dr Thomas Schnieders, Vice President E-Commerce, Innovation & Platform OTTO.

OTTO is to test this technology with immediate effect in a pilot project. In just a few weeks’ time the Product Assistant will be sent to owners and purchasers of selected fully automated coffee machines. Following a test and survey phase lasting several months, a decision will be taken on whether to expand the use of this technology.

OTTO testet diese Technologie ab sofort in einem Pilotprojekt. Bereits in einigen Wochen wird der Produkt-Assistent Besitzern und Käufern ausgewählter Kaffeevollautomaten zugesendet. Nach einer mehrmonatigen Test- und Befragungsphase wird dann über den Ausbau der Technologie entschieden.

About Near Field Communication technology

Near Field Communication (NCF) is a communication technology that enables the contactless exchange of data via wireless transmission. With the aid of this technology, information can be transmitted over distances of just a few centimetres. So far, NFC has been used in cash-free transactions, access control and user authentification, for example. The technology currently works with most Android and Windows hand-held devices. For Apple devices NFC technology is to date only usable in conjunction with the Apple-exclusive payment system Apple Pay.