SMARTRAC Enables SPYDER’S First Foray into Wearable Technology

Smartrac announced its partnership with Spyder, an international ski and performance lifestyle brand. In collaboration with Catalyst (a Li & Fung company) and Blue Bite, Smartrac’s future-oriented Experiences solution will enable Spyder to implement the latest NFC (Near Field Communication) technology into its U.S. Ski Team outerwear collection, allowing wearers to stay connected.
 
Earlier this month, Spyder announced its brand-new US Ski Team (USST) collection. Part of the Smartrac solution to enhance on-mountain adventures with Spyder apparel includes specially designed logo patches embedded with Smartrac’s NFC tags featuring NXP’s NTAG213 ICs, marking this outerwear collection Spyder’s first foray into wearable technology. With a simple tap of a phone or tablet against the NFC touchpoint in the logo, consumers can instantly engage with real-time and dynamic content, including Spyder’s social media feeds (YouTube, Instagram and Twitter), featured videos, ski events and world-class USST members and rosters.
 
Smartrac’s Experiences solution is enhanced by the inclusion of contextual and location-based information such as snow conditions, trail maps and points of interest, personalizing the user experience and continuing the customer journey past the point of purchase.
 
“Globally, we see a great demand for end-to-end product digitization, and our NFC and IoT solutions provide very suitable answers to that. Together with Catalyst and Blue Bite, we are proud and honored that Spyder has selected Smartrac as its technology partner to bring digital services to its brand products, which in return will bring real benefits to its customers,” said Christian Uhl, CEO at Smartrac.
 
The USST collection can be characterized as a pioneering achievement, made possible by the close cooperation of all partners involved. Catalyst, a global supplier of retail solutions, initiated the program, while Blue Bite, a leading IoT company focused on driving digital engagement through physical objects, powers the mobile technology element. Spyder intends to embed its Experiences solution into multiple product categories beyond outerwear, enabling brands to turn physical products into digital connections, revolutionizing consumer journeys and product lifecycles.
 
This is the first project that Catalyst and Smartrac have delivered since announcing their partnership in September 2016. As a Li & Fung company, Catalyst is in a unique position to champion the digitization of retail and apparel across Li & Fung’s extensive customer portfolio.
 
“This solution shows how much potential there is in wearable technology. Smartrac’s IoT platform and solutions, coupled with our capability and expertise in embedding smart tags at the factory level, offers retailers and brands compelling opportunities to digitize their products,” said Ian Billetop, Managing Director, Catalyst.
 
As part of this initiative, Smartrac, Catalyst and Blue Bite will collaborate to leverage the Experiences solution and embedded NFC technology across Spyder’s other product categories in the future.
 
Smartrac and its market partners will showcase Experiences live at Retail’s BIG Show in New York City, Jan. 15-17, 2017.