Identiv Powers ZATAP's Phygital Studio to Turn Physical Products Into Connected Digital Experiences Identiv

Identiv announced its NFC technology has enabled several million connected product taps through ZATAP's Phygital Studio, a platform that enables artists, creators, sports teams and brands to transform physical products into secure, interactive digital experiences.

Merchandise has long been one of the most direct ways for fans to connect with artists, athletes and brands. But once a product is sold, that connection often ends. The Phygital Studio changes that model by turning physical products into secure digital touchpoints that can continue delivering content, offers and experiences long after purchase.

Using Identiv's secure NFC technology, products including apparel, collectibles, and keychains become authenticated digital access points. With a tap of a smartphone to the product, fans can unlock videos, music, exclusive merchandise, ticket access, athlete or artist messages, digital collectibles, donation opportunities and future product releases – without downloading an app.

"ZATAP's Phygital Studio represents exactly the kind of application we built our NFC technology to enable," said Klaus Simonmeyer, Vice President at Identiv. "When a physical product can authenticate its owner and connect them to a personalized digital experience, it opens an entirely new way for brands to engage with fans and customers – one that belongs to the brand, not to a platform intermediary."

Unlike QR codes or traditional web links, each NFC tag provides every product with its own secure digital identity. Combined with tamper-resistant engineering and security features built directly into the NFC chip, the technology allows brands to authenticate products, control access to premium experiences and ensure those experiences remain tied to the product owner.

"The NFC tag is the key into that secure environment," said Joel Krummenacher, Head of Product at ZATAP. "It lets the experience stay tied to the product owner, not just to a link that can be copied or shared. It's what makes it a personalized experience rather than a commodity experience – and that difference means everything to the artists, athletes and their fans."

Because the Phygital Studio allows brands to update the digital experience over time, the interaction is not fixed at the point of purchase. A fan can tap once to unlock event-specific content, then tap again days or weeks later for a tour alert, private message, new product drop or early ticket access.

The solution is already being used by artists, sports teams and entertainment brands across a range of campaigns and product types.

For singer-songwriter Ben Folds and Red Star Merchandise, ZATAP and Identiv added NFC tags to an existing T-shirt and connected each shirt to a digital experience supporting Folds' Keys for Kids initiative. A tap opened a personal video from Folds, additional content about the foundation and a donation pathway – turning an existing product into a cause-driven campaign.