Australia’s Communications Council, an organization representing agencies in the marketing communications industry, is pushing for manufacturers to deliver NFC handsets to Australia to spur contactless payments and mobile marketing.
According to a release posted on Mumbrella, the Comms Council believes Australia is poised to become a “world class innovator” in NFC services, although the organization feels that manufacturers have “held back” when it comes to deploying the technology.
Australia is already a top five mobile market due to the high penetration of smart phones, according to the Council, and features an “eager, early adopting consumer base.” For instance, it is estimated that 60% of Australian brands have rolled out a mobile initiative to date, with over a quarter now operating websites geared toward mobile users.
“The growth of mobile marketing in Australia in the last 18 months has been rapid, so we’re encouraging marketers to look at where NFC can fit into their Marketing and Customer programs, and take the connections they have with audiences to the next level,” said Graham Christie – Communications Council Digital committee member.
“We think there are numerous creative applications for NFC technology beyond transactional interactions,” added Council chairman Iain McDonald. “Marketing communications clients and agencies are eagerly awaiting critical mass of handsets in the marketplace so they can really start engaging consumers in these exciting new ways.”
According to the Council, 50% of all mobile handsets are predicted to have NFC technology by 2014, with an anticipated value of mobile payment transactions in excess of $50 billion worldwide. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/nfcnews-4.gif)
