Nike Joins Surge in NFC Tags on Sneakers

Nike is conducting a pilot programme with AntChain for a new sneaker featuring an NFC chip. The programme enables consumers to access product origin information by tapping their smartphone against an NFC chip on the sneaker.

More than 130,000 pairs of Nike shoes have been produced containing an embedded dynamic NFC chip that connects each product to a digital twin that can be used to authenticate the product and trace its provenance.

This marks the first collaboration between AntChain and Nike, and both companies plan to explore further opportunities for this solution in more use cases. With this, Nike joins a league of fashion, luxury and sportswear brands recently providing NFC experience to customers.

While the pilot project is the first for Nike, AntChain is no stranger to the sports industry. With the ability to process and support one billion user accounts and one billion daily transactions, AntChain is China’s largest productivity blockchain platform. It was unveiled in 2020 as a banner brand for the country’s blockchain, AI, and other developments.

Earlier this year, AntChain collaborated with the National Basketball Association (NBA) China to create original online content and customised consumer experiences on Alipay, for NBA fans in China and users on AntChain's platforms. The collaboration marked the first time NBA fans in China could gain access to NBA video content on Alipay.

In other ‘NFC-on-sportswear’ news:

• Dior has unveiled a new range of B33 sneakers with NFC, based on technology from the Aura Blockchain Consortium.

• Fila has announced a partnership with Ninjas in Pyjamas to launch an NFC-equipped jersey for sports fans.

• Adidas is linking non-fungible tokens to physical sneakers with NFC hang tags.

• Renault has released a collection of sneakers fitted with an NFC chip.

• Puma has launched a new Grailed Puma Slipstream footwear range with NFC.

• Hugo Boss has added NFC tags to baseball caps.

While consumers are becoming obsessed with sneakers (and other sports apparel) for various reasons, the one thing that is becoming inherent to these items is the NFC tag.