We bring new ones to the editorial staff after each press conference. So much so that our office is now covered with dozens of business cards of all kinds. If we end up entering one or two numbers in our directory, most contacts end up, let’s face it, at the bottom of a dusty drawer, when it’s not in the trash. An unfortunate fate, especially when the need arises to reach one of these interlocutors, a few months later…
It is to avoid this kind of inconvenience that the connected business card, which several companies have taken over, intends to do well. The Parisian start-up Vkard, which presents itself as the leader on the French market, has moreover just opened a new workshop in Mouzeuil-Saint-Martin, in the south of Vendée, to meet growing demand, and occupy this number one position in the European level. “In just over a year of existence, we have already produced tens and tens of thousands of cards for 6,000 corporate clients, announces Thibaut Oger, co-founder and director of Vkard, who was one of the exhibitors at the VivaTech show. . We are reinventing the exchange of contacts, while 88% of business cards are discarded in less than eight days. »
Transmission by NFC
In concrete terms, all you have to do is swipe your card behind the smartphone of your interlocutor or future customer to send him your card, which will then be immediately saved in the contacts. No need for an app, the transmission is done by NFC, compatible with all phones. With one click, it is possible to send back their contact details. “But it goes well beyond the email and the number, continues Thibaut Oger. This file can contain a link to a shared agenda, the address of all the company’s social networks, a brochure to consult online… “Practical, we can also add keywords so that our new contact can easily find us, even if he has forgotten our name or that of our company.
Because doesn’t the connected business card (which can also be completely dematerialized) risk dehumanizing the exchanges, materialized by the delivery of this little piece of cardboard? On the contrary, according to Thibaut Oger, who thinks that his product helps to improve the brand image of his customers, including real estate agencies, banks or law firms. “When I’m at a trade show and I badge my card, I’m asked to do it again, it creates a wow effect, judges the 36-year-old director, who sells customizable plastic, bamboo or metal cards (from 29 to 89 euros excluding tax per unit). It has much more impact than a classic exchange. »
A news update
The ecological argument would also appeal, at a time when the number of business cards printed each year in France would be counted in the hundreds of millions. Because Vkard, which presents itself as “the last business card of your life” can be updated as soon as a change of position or contact details occurs. For merchants, Vkard recently launched the Stars range, a contactless card that allows you to directly collect opinions. Once the customer has cashed, he can suggest that he connect directly to the Google page of the store with his account, in order to obtain the maximum number of stars.
In 2023, the start-up with 12 employees hopes to achieve 1.5 million euros in turnover.