Paper business cards are dead. You hand out 500 at a conference, and maybe 3 people actually follow up. I built Pulsee to solve this — an NFC-powered smart business card that shares your contact info with a single tap, captures every lead, and gives you analytics on who engaged.
Why NFC Smart Cards?
The traditional business card has three fatal flaws:
- They get lost. 88% of paper business cards are thrown away within a week.
- They're static. Changed your phone number? Reprint 500 cards.
- They don't track anything. You have no idea if anyone ever used the info.
Pulsee solves all three. One card. Always up to date. Every tap tracked.
How Pulsee Works
The experience is dead simple:
- Tap your Pulsee card against any NFC-enabled phone (iPhone, Android).
- Contact details are shared instantly — no app download required.
- Contacts are auto-saved to Pulsee's dashboard as leads.
- Run targeted follow-ups because you know exactly who tapped when.
The Tech Stack
Building Pulsee required bridging physical hardware with digital infrastructure:
- E-Commerce: WooCommerce with custom product configurator for card personalization.
- NFC Programming: Each card is individually programmed with a unique URL that routes to the owner's profile.
- Profile Pages: Headless CMS-powered profile pages that load in under 1 second.
- Analytics Dashboard: Real-time tap tracking with geographic and device insights.
- Lead Capture: Automatic contact storage with CSV export for CRM integration.
Key Features
| Feature | Benefit | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | Instant Contact Sharing | One tap, zero friction | | Lead Capture | Every interaction is stored | | Always Up to Date | Edit your info anytime, card stays the same | | Targeted Marketing | Follow up based on engagement data | | Analytics | Know who tapped, when, and where | | Personalized Design | Custom branding on every card |
Lessons From Launching a Physical + Digital Product
Selling a physical NFC card alongside digital software taught me a few things:
- Tactile products still matter. People love holding something premium. The feel of the card matters as much as the tech.
- Simple onboarding wins. If someone taps the card and doesn't instantly "get it," you've lost them. The UX has to be invisible.
- WooCommerce is underrated. For physical product businesses, WordPress + WooCommerce still offers unmatched flexibility for custom checkout flows.
What's Next
Pulsee is expanding into smart rings and wearable NFC accessories — same technology, new form factors. The vision is simple: your identity should travel with you, and networking should never require paper again.
Check it out at pulsee.ca.