ISPO Award 2023 for Nordisk’s Digital Customer Experience

The Scandinavian outdoor experts at Nordisk have included NFC chips in some of their newest tents, such as the Ydun Sky, enabling customers a new kind of digital experience that the judges of the second round of this year’s ISPO Award found worthy of an ISPO Award 2023.

The chip works as a product passport, making it easier to follow the product from the factory to the end consumer. This benefits not only Nordisk but also its customers. The NFC tag is sewn into the packsack of the tent. Scanning it with a smartphone by “tapping”, which means placing its back on the indicated NFC tag, takes customers to a unique website where they can find inspirational pictures, product information, FAQs, and how-to-set-up instructions. It also allows for easy customer registration and a premium easy-to-access ecosystem experience. In addition, Nordisk rewards registration with an extended 5-year warranty on manufacturing defects.

The concept behind this solution, which Nordisk developed in partnership with Dutch company Tappr, is to allow customers to engage with the product digitally before, during, and after using it. This NFC tag also enables Nordisk to add sustainability metrics to each product, such as production location, shipment method, and CO₂ footprint. While QR codes tend to wear down quickly when used outdoors, the NFC tag offers a durable, reliable, and functional solution. The NFC tag is waterproof, tearproof, and windproof, making it ideal for outdoor use, and it is also machine washable.

Nordisk is a company that emphasizes sustainability, and although the NFC itself is not green since it’s a microchip, it has a positive impact in terms of sustainability. It enables transparency in production and shipping and also facilitates easy care and repair of the product. The Nordisk chip is ROHS compliant, which means it restricts hazardous substances found in electrical and electronic products.

The NFC solution comes at no additional cost to customers. Nordisk aims to utilize this solution to reduce its dependency on printed paper. Printed manuals and product guides, for example, are no longer needed. Nordisk also uses it to tell the product’s unique story as well as offer the right add-on products. The jury chose this package as a winner of the ISPO Award 2023.

• No need for printed manuals and product guides
• Easy access to additional information
• Long-lasting functionality (compared to QR codes)
• No additional cost for customers
• Abrasion resistant, tearproof, waterproof, windproof

Easy to use: just “tap” the NFC chip with the smartphone.