What is an NFC business card?

Inside the card is a thin chip and a tiny antenna. The chip has no battery. When a phone with NFC (near-field communication) comes within a few centimetres, the phone's own reader powers the chip for a moment and reads what is stored on it. On a business card that is normally one web address, and the phone opens it in its browser.

Parichy's cards, standees, keychains and patches use an NTAG216 chip working at 13.56 MHz, a common NFC standard. The chip holds a link to your Smart Profile, so the card itself never needs to be rewritten when your details change: you edit the profile and the next tap shows the update.

They see your digital business card: a web page with your name, role, phone, WhatsApp, email, website and social links, plus a button that saves your details to their contacts. Other Smart Profiles go further — a product catalogue that sends an order on WhatsApp, a booking page, an assistant that answers questions — but the tap works the same way.

Nothing needs to be installed. The page opens in the browser they already have.

Most current smartphones can read an NFC tag, though behaviour differs between models and software versions, and NFC has to be switched on for some Android phones. That is why every Parichy Smart Profile also has a QR code: any phone camera can scan it and open exactly the same page. Our compatibility guide covers iPhone and Android in more detail.

Anyone who meets people in person and wants them to reach a page that is always current. In practice that includes:

• Founders, sales teams and consultants who hand out a card at every meeting.
• Real-estate agents who want listings and a WhatsApp button one tap away.
• Shops, restaurants and small brands that want a catalogue or a WhatsApp order page on a card, a standee or a keychain.
• Exhibitors and event teams who need fast, tidy contact exchange.
• Companies that want every employee's card to look the same and stay accurate when people change roles.

It depends on three things: the card (material and printing), the profile behind it, and whether that profile is a one-time price or a subscription. Prices should be shown in rupees and say whether GST is included. Our guide to NFC business card prices in India explains what to compare, and the pricing page shows Parichy's current prices.

With Parichy it takes four steps:

1. Choose the Smart Profile that matches what the card should do — a business card, a catalogue, WhatsApp orders, bookings and so on.
2. Choose the hardware: a PVC or metal card, a keychain, a standee or a patch, printed with your name and logo.
3. Check out. The price of the profile, the hardware, GST and shipping are shown together before you pay.
4. Fill in your profile from your dashboard, then tap or scan to share.