WISeKey International Holding Ltd, a Swiss based cybersecurity and IoT company, is announcing the release of its new WISfans platform with secure Near Field Communication (NFC). The technology offers the sports industry a powerful tool to deter counterfeiting of branded merchandise, increase sales and enhance fan interaction.
According to Forbes, the 20 most valuable soccer teams in the world generated an average of $428 million in revenue during the 2016-2017 season, which is 40% more than five years ago. Part of this revenue comes from the sale of branded merchandise.
It is estimated that more than half of the world’s population, approximately 4.0 billion people, consider themselves to be soccer fans, making it the most popular sport in the world. While sales of branded merchandise for the sports industry continue to grow, counterfeiting has become a major issue for clubs and their fans. WISeKeys’ WISfans and its NanoSealRT/VaultIC155 NFC tags/tokens provide sports clubs with a consistent robust way to protect their brands from counterfeiting, while reinforcing their interaction with fans. Specifically, WISfans helps sports clubs to improve engagement with fans: through a digital ‘clubhouse’ ecosystem that taps into a sport franchise’s fan base. It helps protect their brand: WISeKey’s WISfans now comes with the Company’s award winning WISeAuthentic original module for digital brand protection. Increase sales: Through the platform, fans can also click through to ticketing, merchandise purchase and sponsor sites.
“WISeKey’s proven track record and expertise in brand protection and digital identity management is now available to the sports industry for growing revenue and expanding interaction with fans,” said Olivier Debelleix, Director of Brand Protection & Wearable Security Business Unit for WISeKey. “Nowadays, clubs are looking for high-tech tools to secure long term fan retention and loyalty and build relationships which can positively impact their team’s profitability. WISeKey is their natural partner.”
