Vitag launches NFC-powered ‘sticky notes’ for visual guides • TechCrunch.

Emerging as something of a poster-child of technology during the QR codes epidemic, garnering a new lease of life in everything from restaurant menus to contactless payments, there’s a definite edge to the matrix barcode system.

Usability is a sticking point in terms of the effort to create content and integrate it with QR codes, and also in terms of the end user having to open their camera app to scan a QR code – something that might not happen. Work even in low light conditions. Throw into the mix aesthetics (who’s ever seen a more attractive QR code?), and there’s a strong case to be made for a strong alternative that brings the spirit of the QR code to a more user-friendly format.

This is a problem that Vitag is setting out to solve with an NFC product designed for video instructions. Or “video sticky notes” as the company calls them.

This year, Dallas-based Vitag will officially announce its private beta today at TC Disrupt, where the company was selected as one of TechCrunch’s Battlefield 200 startup cohorts. We caught up with co-founders Sean Jackson (CEO) and CTO Daniel Reiling to find out exactly what he’s looking to achieve.

Videos on the tube

The Vitag product consists of two main “things”: a mobile app that lets people record instructional videos or upload existing materials from their devices, and a physical NFC-enabled tag that they can program the video into. After that, all the user has to do is tap on their phone, and a video will pop up on their screen, showing the Airbnb guest how to use the A/C system or where the recycling goes.

Vitag in action. Image Credits: Vitag

Of course, all of this is easy to achieve with a QR code – there are many online services for generating QR codes that one can link to a YouTube video that one has created. What Vitag does, however, is provide the tools to create the video, manage tags and host the actual video itself – it has built its own hosting service on Google Cloud, with content visible only to those with access to a special URL. which activates when users tap their phone.

“We’ve created our own service where you can record a video on your phone, it goes to our servers and it’s hosted there,” Rilling said.

Using an existing white-label video hosting service from a company like Vimeo might be more obvious, but the founders explained the reason for building their own hosting service: It’s about scalability, control and customization. While Vimeo can be great for a company to host its own videos, when hundreds or thousands of Vimeo customers need to create their own personal accounts and create and store hundreds of thousands of videos, this experience requires complete control. Creating through hosting. Complete back-end and front-end packaged in one platform.

“Our goal is to remove complexity from the process of sharing instructions,” Jackson said. “From QR code generators to different hosting platforms, desktop printing devices, printers, adhesives – and everything else that matters – we believe people are tired of connecting different technologies together to complete a task.

However, it’s not just about video. A customer can configure their account to link to a static text page, photo, URL, or whatever they want.

The company offers $2 pre-printed labels for a specific type of business, such as restaurants or retailers, while creators can order personalized labels with their own personal text and choice of different backgrounds. It’s also worth noting that companies can choose to have a QR code printed on NFC tags for those who choose to use a QR code.

Vitag: customization interface. Image Credits: TechCrunch

Vitag also supports NFC tags from third-party vendors, with an in-app function for users to format the tags to work with Vitag. The company said it plans more tools in the future, including a desktop app with more features for small businesses and enterprise customers.

The increase of NFC

NFC, or Near Field Communication as it’s more formally known, isn’t a new technology, but it’s taken a while to really hit mainstream consciousness, and it still resides in the payments domain. But the latest development is somewhat recent, with big tech companies like Apple, which began fully embracing NFC in 2019 with iOS 13 — instead of only allowing iPhone apps to read NFC tags, Apple has begun allowing apps to write directly to blank tags, and natively. Interoperability protocols. The company also recently launched a new “tap to pay” feature that allows iPhones to accept contactless payments via NFC.

Elsewhere, NFC is also being used as a replacement for business cards, allowing people to exchange information by touching phones.

So while QR codes have seen a huge revival in recent years and aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, NFC is also on the upswing, which is where Vitag wants to make its mark.

“We believe consumers are becoming more comfortable with ‘touch events’ as payments are used more frequently these days,” Jackson said. And as more people are exposed to digital business cards, the market will become increasingly ‘tapped’.

Vitag is currently looking to serve the short-term rental property market in the US, which Jackson describes as a particularly powerful tool for video guides. But there are plans to target all kinds of verticals, from restaurants and retail stores to gyms.

“When we shared our vision of what this technology could do, almost everyone we met used it case after case,” Jackson explained. “People who have been renting wanted to use them instead of using outdated guest books. Restaurant owners want QR codes to be a replacement. Gym owners want to show people how to exercise. Retail store owners wanted to use them for in-store product displays.

According to Jackson, Vitag hopes to raise some seed money in the near future, but has already raised around $145,000 from angel investors in Texas, including WP Engine founder Jason Cohen.