Using Spreadly to Digitize Business Cards

Transfer your data quickly and reliably with a digital business card. Spreadly makes it easy to digitize your business cards.

How Do Digital Business Cards Work?

A digital business card enables contactless data transfer. Contact details are stored in an online profile and can then be transferred directly to the recipient’s smartphone address book or email contacts via QR code or NFC.

Reasons to Digitize Business Cards

Digitizing business cards is becoming increasingly common. Online business cards offer numerous advantages over traditional paper cards:

• Fast, contactless data transfer: After digitizing your business card, you can quickly and easily transfer your data contactlessly within seconds. By scanning business cards, the contact details are stored correctly on the recipient’s mobile device, preventing your card (and contact) from getting lost in a drawer.
• Reduced error rate: By digitizing business cards, you avoid reprinting as data on online business cards can be updated easily at any time. You also eliminate errors caused by manual entry of contact information into a contact directory.
• Security: Digital business cards can be locked or deleted if lost, ensuring no unauthorized access to your data.
• Diverse design options: Even if you want to digitize your business cards, you can choose a custom design. For instance, you can design a physical card in your corporate branding and with your logo.
• Cost efficiency: Digital business cards are simple to use and therefore cost-effective to produce and implement.
• Modern image: Many companies still rely on professional email signatures as their only form of a digital business card. Companies that digitize their business cards demonstrate openness to digital innovation and present themselves as modern from the very first contact. Some companies even use AI-based scanner apps with optical character recognition to read printed cards, but you can skip this step by providing your details digitally from the start.

Ways to Digitize Business Cards

If you want to digitize your business cards, you can choose between cards with a QR code and those with NFC technology.

Digital Business Cards with QR Code

If the digital business card is linked to a QR code, contact details can be easily retrieved by scanning the code with a smartphone or tablet camera, or a scanner app. This will then redirect to a website or contact file. The QR code can be displayed digitally or printed on a physical card.

Digital Business Cards with NFC Technology

Contactless data transfer is also possible with an NFC-enabled business card. A physical card with an NFC chip can be customized, and using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the data is transferred wirelessly over distances of up to 10 cm. The digital business card is simply "loaded" onto the NFC chip embedded in the physical card, which can be conveniently stored in a wallet.

QR Code or NFC – Which Should I Use to Digitize My Business Cards?

Business cards can be digitized with either QR code or NFC. The downside of a QR code is that once it’s printed on a card, it cannot be updated. In contrast, an NFC chip can be reprogrammed repeatedly, offering more flexibility. However, NFC business cards are more expensive than printed cards with a QR code.

Spreadly: Your Service for Digitizing Business Cards

With Spreadly, digitizing your business cards is especially easy and affordable. Simply enter your details in our online portal, and you can update them with just a few clicks anytime.

Creating a digital business card is completely free in the basic version. A monthly fee is only incurred if you choose a custom-designed physical card with an NFC chip or want to unlock additional features.

Strengths of Spreadly’s digital business card:

• Customizable designs
• Free integration with a digital business card
• Integration with Calendly, Hubspot, Salesforce, Spotify, cloud storage, and more
• Easy to add to Apple Wallet / Google Wallet
• Lead capture through contact form with CRM system synchronization
• Standard templates for easy team member onboarding
• Simple user management via Excel/CSV, Microsoft 365, or Google Workspace
• No app required for use
• GDPR-compliant, developed and hosted in Germany with TLS encryption

Configurator for Your Digital Business Card

If you want to digitize your business cards and pair them with an NFC card, you can easily create your custom design using our free configurator.