NFT: The New Infrastructure of the Internet's Future

The era of NFTs has quietly arrived. Although some mock them as just expensive little pictures, in reality, NFTs are becoming an important infrastructure for the future of the internet. They can provide market insights without overly infringing on privacy, create communities and organizations, and provide the necessary data architecture for building the Web3 vision.

More and more forward-thinking companies are integrating NFTs into their technological architectures. From sports leagues to music festivals, various brands are beginning to experiment with NFT applications. Some of these reflect innovative advancements in membership economy, while others merely utilize this technology without engaging with the core promises of Web3. As a practitioner who develops NFT solutions daily, I believe companies can approach the integration of NFTs from three aspects, thus moving towards a more community-driven future.

Establish a membership system to unite the community

First, companies can establish and strengthen communities by offering a membership mechanism. For example, they can issue NFT membership tokens to loyal members and grant them access to internal community features. Another way is to issue special NFTs for early supporters and enthusiasts, such as the first 100 purchasers at the product launch.

Through this type of membership mechanism, companies can provide priority access to products, news, content, or special features for the most enthusiastic and interested user groups. In addition, by identifying core user groups, companies can gain important feedback and understand what users value the most.

This internal membership mechanism helps companies easily maintain and enhance user enthusiasm while strengthening the brand ambassador effect. Companies can even use NFTs as tickets to access peer-to-peer community spaces, allowing users to interact with other members, provide product feedback, and participate in shaping the future of the business. Incorporating NFTs into the membership mechanism not only allows companies to establish closer ties with the most engaged community but also enhances the community's driving force behind the company's business.

Provide priority or exclusive access rights

Implementing an NFT-based membership mechanism opens up various possibilities for businesses. One of them is to provide priority or exclusive access. For example, a well-known sports brand could offer priority purchasing rights for new sneakers through NFT membership. Members purchasing specific styles may also have the opportunity to participate in designer meet-and-greet events or online Q&A sessions.

This application is not limited to online activities. NFTs, as infrastructure, have a high degree of flexibility and are not restricted by platforms, allowing for a seamless offline community gathering experience as tickets. By verifying NFT membership, you can participate in exclusive online Q&A sessions with sneaker designers or visit their design studios in person.

Empowering Members with Voting Rights

Through NFTs, companies can also give members a voice in the decision-making process. For example, a sports brand could share its design proposals under development with members who have participated in multiple sales (NFTs can record this information) and invite them to vote. In this way, the brand can deepen its interaction with the core community in a mutually beneficial manner: members will have more rights and decision-making influence, while the brand can generate more interest, leading to increased sales.

Reward Community Leaders

The third and deeper integration method is to give members greater influence over the project direction. For example, a brand's member NFT can record data on participation in sales and style voting. The brand can invite certain members to participate in discussions and strategic meetings with the product and design teams based on specific criteria. This is expected to further coordinate the pace between the community and the company, and reward the contributions of community influencers.

In addition, brands can provide various channels to deepen interaction based on the specific interests of members. Some may wish to participate in design decisions, while others may prefer to act as brand ambassadors. Regardless of the chosen method, all active community members can receive rewards. Each member having an NFT can unlock tremendous possibilities.

Promote Cross-Community Interaction

As more and more companies integrate NFTs and elevate the role of membership mechanisms in their business, cross-community collaboration will become a field full of opportunities. Brands and communities will be able to do things that were previously difficult to achieve, such as launching targeted promotional activities for NFT holders in like-minded communities of other companies. Compared to current customer acquisition methods, this community integration can advance in a more humanized way with less data intrusion, which is particularly exciting.

The shift towards a membership-based business model will bring profound changes. Some companies may gradually venture into these areas, while others may adopt a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) model, completely entrusting their operations to the community. The NFT-based membership mechanism allows companies to flexibly experiment with the level of community involvement in their business and adjust as needed.

In the development process of many industries, human factors have encountered significant setbacks, and the overall trust in enterprises has been severely damaged. Membership mechanisms are a powerful tool through which businesses can become more community-centered, thus reversing this trend. This is the dual benefit brought by NFTs; they not only provide new avenues for economic growth for enterprises but also rebuild trust and strengthen community connections.