DEPARTMNT
DEPARTMNT provides an NFC-based platform that lets brands measure, program, and own physical-world customer interactions. The system uses encrypted tags that record presence data when tapped, feeding into a centralized Core dashboard that unifies all touchpoints into a single customer record. The platform is built on active user consent, with Advance tags that are signed on every tap to prevent cloning.
- Marketing Technology
- Internet of Things
- Hardware
- Software Only
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Brands lose visibility into the most valuable customer interactions that occur in the physical world, such as product usage, event attendance, and in-store visits. These moments are often untracked, unowned, and unconnected to digital customer records, leaving brands without a complete picture of engagement and limiting their ability to build lasting relationships.
Solution
Departmnt provides a platform that uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to connect physical touchpoints to a brand-owned digital system. A customer taps an NFC tag on a product or at an event, which triggers a digital experience in the Portal and records a "Tap Event" as proof of presence. All interactions feed into a central Core system, where brands manage campaigns, track engagement, and consolidate every touchpoint into a single customer profile. The platform is built on active user consent, recording data only when a user deliberately taps, and employs encryption and tokenization to secure the physical interaction data. The system is designed to be the underlying layer for all physical-world interactions, answering questions like who showed up, who took part, who came back, and who you can talk to.
Target Audience
Primary customers are brands and organizations that manage physical products, live events, venues, or experiential activations and need to capture, track, and own customer interaction data from the physical world. This includes creators, event organizers, retail brands, membership programs, and product manufacturers.
Features
- NFC-based tap technology that records proof of presence with a timestamp, location, and device identifier
- Advance tags that are signed on every tap with a one-time code, so copied links or cloned tags fail
- Locked tags that cannot be overwritten or reprogrammed by anyone with a phone and an app
- Centralized Core system that unifies all touchpoints into one customer record for a complete engagement view
- Portal that triggers automated workflows, such as sending digital receipts or opening doors, upon a tap
- Active data capture model that records location only when a user physically taps a tag, unlike passive GPS tracking
- Security measures including encryption (e.g., AES-128), tokenization, and monitoring for relay attacks and NFC skimming
- Compliance features including Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal support and a "Right to Know" data deletion process
- Tags are passive with no battery, tested to 100,000 tap cycles and rated for fifty years
- Tags can be pointed, updated, or switched off remotely from Core after shipping, without changing the hardware