YKK – a leading Japanese company of fasteners – has announced that US-based software service provider WaveOn – that connects brands and consumers via products – is joining its network of software partners supporting YKK’s Touchlink fasteners enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.
Utilising NFC technology, WaveOn helps brands turn physical products into rich interactive customer experiences.
By joining YKK’s software partner network for Touchlink fasteners, WaveOn looks to combine its award-winning software with the Touchlink fastener hardware to help brands create unique consumer engagements.
The consumers can access customised experiences with a wave of their smartphone to the Touchlink zipper puller, requiring no app or search engine.
WaveOn plans to promote YKK’s Touchlink fastener hardware solution to brand customers as a digital access point that can be designed into their products.
By using YKK zippers with Touchlink zipper pullers, brands, as claimed by YKK, can easily add digital connectivity to their products without having to alter their designs.
“The WaveOn platform ultimately connects consumers to digital and Web3 experiences through their physical products,” commented Jurgen Schmerler, CEO of WaveOn, adding, “YKK’s expertise helps us bring that platform to life in a wide variety of products and simplifies the embedding process for our brand partners.”
Commenting on the development, Terry Tsukumo, Vice President of YKK Corporation’s Global Marketing Group, said, “We see TouchLink fasteners not only as a portal for brands to provide their customers a unique brand experience unmatched by other technologies, but as an important component for enabling new circular business models.”
According to YKK, another advantage of its TouchLink fastener is its permanence and durability. The NFC chip is molded into the zipper puller, which completely encases it, making it highly resistant to moisture and breakage, informs YKK.
“A zipper puller is very unlikely to be removed by consumers like a care tag or label. Embedding the NFC chip in the puller gives it durable protection from washing or breakage,” explained Tsukumo.
