MOO has partnered with paper manufacturer Arjowiggins Creative Papers to upgrade the humble business card: the interactive Business Cards+ with NFC technology deliver a range of digital actions and smart functionalities that are defined by the customer.

To use Business Cards +, the user taps their card onto an NFC-enabled device, such as a mobile phone, to deliver a range of pre-loaded content.  

The interactive nature of the physical cards is made possible by Arjowiggins Creative Papers’ PowerCoat technology and their Alive! connected papers.

PowerCoat, launched in 2012, is an ultra-smooth paper developed specially for the printing of electronic circuitry. Two years later, the company announced the addition of Alive!, where electronics are pre-printed onto a PowerCoat paper base by using silver inks. 

A tiny silicon chip is then embedded into the circuitry, before thin grades of the company's fine paper are laminated onto both sides, completely hiding the circuitry. The final product is then printed conventionally.

Jonathan Mitchell, MD of Arjowiggins Creative Papers, explained: “We are proud to work with the formidable and forward-thinking team at MOO for the launch of their Business Cards+ range. We’re convinced that these connected business cards will revolutionise the way people interact and will become the new norm.”

The Business Cards+ are driven by URLs that a user can change even after the card has been handed out. The advantage of such dynamic business cards mean that:

•  Creatives can always have an up-to-date portfolio of work to show customers
•  Entrepreneurs can give direct access to download their start-up’s app
•  Networkers have the next generation referral card to maximise their influence
•  Retailers can swiftly link to price lists and new stock 
• Fashion designers can constantly update their latest collections
•  Event planners can keep a track of attendees

MOO’s founder and CEO Richard Moross says: “Business cards are the most successful networking technology of all time, but they’ve been the same for centuries. Of course we love print, but because we also love the web we wanted to bring those two worlds together, making paper more useful than it’s ever been.”

“As soon as we saw this technology we knew we had to develop it. And it’s taken us over two years to get it right, but loving technology and being design-minded people, this was something MOO was meant to do. It provides us with an enormous commercial opportunity, but really it’s all about our mission to help our customers to stand out. Now for the first time we’re able to give them a whole new digital as well as paper world. We can’t wait to see how they use it.”