OTTO-Produkt-Assistent: Neuer Test mit smartem NFC-Aufkleber

All customers have to do is sweep over the OTTO Product Assistant service sticker with their smartphone. They then get extensive additional information on otto.de about the product they have bought displayed, including operation instructions, explanatory videos, tips and tricks, information about additional products, and how to contact the OTTO Service Team. Selected customers already tested the Product Assistant in combination with fully automated coffee machines back in the first quarter of 2016. It was positively received, with almost 90 per cent of test customers assessing the OTTO Product Assistant as positive and wanting to continue to use it.

Second test – with more test customers, new articles and helpful blog content

From now on the Hamburg-based online retailer is expanding the Service Sticker to cover a larger selection of assortments. A sample of several tens of thousands of customers throughout Germany will be testing the Product Assistant from May 2017 onwards. The test assortments include selected washing machines, kitchen appliances, dishwashers, notebooks and fully automated coffee machines. The test focuses on assortments which require explanations that customers have asked for during the first test phase, and where we know that other customers often have questions. In addition to operation instructions and the like, the OTTO Product Assistant also draws on the contents of the OTTO Lifestyle blogs: for instance, tips and tricks from the “UPDATED” advice magazine on the subject of washing machines will be used.

“In our view, the shopping experience on otto.de is only good if customers get their answers from us as quickly as possible, even after making their purchase. Smart technologies such as the OTTO Product Assistant can be the right tools for further increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction”, says Marc Opelt, Member of the OTTO Management Board, Marketing and Spokesman OTTO.

The second test phase is planned to run until autumn 2017. After that, decisions will be made about the possible rollout of the Product Assistant. The objective for OTTO is to offer customers simple and intuitive access to solutions to their problems as part of a comprehensive, carefree package following their purchase from otto.de.

Information on the OTTO Product Assistant

The Product Assistant is a rectangular sticker, a little bigger than a two-euro coin, which functions with NFC transfer technology. After a smartphone and sticker have made radio contact with each other, a service page opens with all the most important information about the product-assistant connected appliance. This way, additional related articles can quickly and easily be ordered too. Customers who don’t have an NFC-enabled device can use the Product Assistant through the URL printed on the sticker.

Information on Near-Field Communication Technology:

Near-Field Communication (NFC) is a transfer technology that enables the contactless exchange of data by radio waves. This technology enables information to be transferred across a distance of a few centimetres. For example, NFC has been used to date for contactless cash-free payment, as well as for access control and authentication purposes. This technology currently works with most Android and Windows devices. With Apple devices, NFC technology can currently only be used in combination with the internal Apple Pay payment system.