How NFC digital receipts work (in plain English)

People hear “NFC” and either think of contactless payments or get a bit glazed. Here’s the simple version.

What’s an NFC sticker?

It’s a small adhesive sticker (about the size of a 10p coin) with a tiny chip inside. The chip stores a URL — nothing else. No batteries, no power needed. It just sits there waiting to be read.

What happens when a customer taps?

1. The customer pays at the till as normal.
2. You ask if they’d like a digital receipt and point at the sticker.
3. They hover the top of their phone over the sticker for a second.
4. Their phone reads the URL and opens it automatically.
5. They see your most recent sale ready for emailing. They enter their email and tap Send.
6. The receipt arrives in their inbox seconds later.

That’s it. No app to download. No QR code to line up. No account to create.

Why doesn’t it need an app?

Modern iPhones and Androids treat tappable NFC tags the same way they treat tappable links: as a web URL. The phone’s built-in software opens the link in the default browser. We don’t need to build or install anything.

What if the customer doesn’t tap?

Then nothing happens. No receipt is sent, no charge to you. Your existing receipt printer still works as a fallback. TapReceipt doesn’t replace anything — it just adds a digital option for customers who want one.

What about returning customers?

The first tap stores their email on their phone (if they tick the box). Every future tap at the same shop sends the receipt automatically — no email re-entry needed. It feels magical the second time.

Try it for your shop — it costs 2p per receipt sent and there are no setup fees.