📖
Web3 Encyclopedia
  • Welcome aboard!
  • Source
  • 😀Evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0
    • Web 1.0 Web 2.0 Web 3.0
    • Key Features
    • Current Limitations
    • Future of Web 3.0
    • Learn: What Is Web3?
    • Learn: Will Every Brand Have a Web3 Strategy?
    • Learn: Big Ideas in 2023
    • Learn: The Web3 Paradox: Why Scaling Usage Alone Won't Lead to Mass Adoption?
    • Learn: Is Web3 A Marketing Buzz or Tech Revolution?
    • Learn: What is the relationship between blockchain and Web3?
    • Learn:Empowering Women in Web 3.0: The Role and Contributions of Women in Blockchain, DeFi, and dApp
    • Learn: Web 3.0 and the Future of E-Commerce
    • Learn: 12 ways ecosystem projects can attract more developers
    • Learn: How Web3 is Impacting Education?
    • Learn: Web3 And The Future Of Digital Advertising
    • Learn: Web3’s impact on personalization, trust and engagement
    • Learn: Web3-Powered Identity Management -- Unlocking the Benefits of Decentralization
    • Learn: Why Web2 companies fail in Web3 while others made it?
    • Learn: To Identify or Not in a Web3 World?
    • 🤫[Insider Series] McKinsey x Web3
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 💲Blockchain Fundamentals
    • Why is Blockchain So Popular?
    • Introduction to Blockchain
    • Blockchain Misconceptions
    • Blockchain vs Bitcoin, Database, Cloud
    • Consensus Mechanism
    • Public and Private Keys
    • Hash Functions and Cryptography
    • Sharding
    • Types of Blockchains: PoW, PoS and Private
    • Understanding Cryptocurrency
    • Coins vs Tokens
    • Blockchain Trilemma
    • Legality
    • Learn : Google’s Cloud Based Blockchain Node Service
    • Learn: How Blockchain, Digital assets, and Web3 Unlock Financial Inclusion Globally
    • Learn: Will Chinese-Made Crypto Soar Higher?
    • Learn: What Does MiCA Mean for Crypto in Europe?
    • Learn: Unraveling the Intricacies of Blockchain Forensics and Asset Tracking
    • Learn: Promising blockchain use cases in healthcare industry
    • Learn: The Role of Blockchain in Authenticating and Provenance Art
    • Learn: Blockchain-Based Digital Identity: Benefits, Risks, and Implementation Challenges
    • Learn: The Future of Energy Supply Chains
    • Learn: Revolutionizing smart contracts and cryptocurrency
    • Learn: Nigeria goes blockchain
    • Learn: A Game Changer for Online Gaming?
    • Learn: Is blockchain technology ready for high-storage applications?
    • Learn: Will Blockchain Technology Mark a Turning Point in Fraud Prevention?
    • Learn: Why ZK-rollups need data availability?
    • Learn: How will generative AI disrupt blockchain?
    • Learn: A New Blockchain for Generative AI?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 🏟️Web3 Utilities
    • Decentralized Applications (dApps)
    • Cross-chain Bridges
    • DAO
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Learn: Is Community-building Essential for Web3 Startups?
    • Learn: ‘Decentralization Theater’
    • Learn: Crypto and AI- A yay or nay combination?
    • Learn: Dissecting the DAO
    • Learn: What is motivating Lido DAO to rise?
    • Learn: How to Turn Your Community Into a DAO?
    • Learn: The Key to Decentralized Decision Making
    • Learn: How Web 3.0 can disrupt the supply chain industry?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 🪙Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin
    • Bitcoin's Blockchain Technology
    • UTXO Model and Transaction Fees
    • Bitcoin Mining and Mempool
    • Learn: What is bitcoin mining?
    • What are Hard Forks and Soft Forks
    • What is SegWit and the Lightning Network
    • Bitcoin Ecosystem
    • Can Bitcoin be Destroyed? Game Theory and Network Attacks
    • Learn: Crypto token supplies explained
    • Learn: What is crypto tax-loss harvesting, and how does it work?
    • Learn: Can Crypto Go Green? How to Invest in Eco-Friendly Cryptocurrencies
    • Learn: Why Did FTX Collapse? Here’s What to Know.
    • Learn: How Sam Bankman-Fried swindled $8 billion in customer money?
    • Learn: How much is Bitcoin worth today?
    • Learn: The Costs of Running a Bitcoin Node In Nigeria
    • Learn: Has 2022 Left Any Crypto Positives?
    • Learn: How Crypto Exchanges Can Be Free of Risk?
    • Learn: Greed, Lies and FTX: Is Crypto a Force for Good or Evil?
    • Learn: Is Crypto a Cultural Movement?
    • Learn: What are the consequences of crypto’s ongoing regulatory process?
    • Learn: Beyond the Crash and Embracing NFTs?
    • Learn: Understanding crypto bag holders and their mindset
    • Learn: Inscriptions: Just A Fad, Or A Real Threat To Bitcoin Becoming Decentralized Money?
    • Learn: How Bitcoin Ordinals Can Change the Future Of Mining?
    • Learn: What is a supernet?
    • Learn: Bitcoin Miners Celebrate 10 Years Since First ASIC, What Changed Since Then?
    • Learn: Bill Vs. CBDC – Why This US Congressman Wants To Block The Fed From Issuing A Digital Dollar?
    • Learn: Why Bitcoin Will Blow People’s Minds In 2025?
    • Learn: How the Howey Test Sheds Light on Cryptocurrency's Regulatory Gray Area
    • Learn: Cryptocurrency vs AI: A Complex Debate
    • Learn: Where the U.S. Government Went Wrong in Regulating Crypto?
    • Learn: The Nostr Privacy Paradox
    • Learn: Do algorithmic stablecoins have a future as centralized coins are under scrutiny?
    • Learn: Is Bitcoin Set To Revolutionize The Financial World With Its Superior Purchasing Power?
    • Learn: What is Shibarium, and what does it mean for Shiba Inu?
    • Learn: What is a crypto dusting attack?
    • Learn: Is the Adoption of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) the Future?
    • Learn: How Artificial Intelligence Could Revolutionize Crypto?
    • Learn: What’s next for EU’s crypto industry as European Parliament passes MiCA?
    • Learn: Why the EU Has MiCA and the U.S. Has Securities Law Confusion?
    • Learn: Six New Projects Looking to Mitigate Bitcoin Mining’s Energy Footprint
    • Learn: Who on Crypto Twitter chose not to pay for a blue checkmark?
    • Learn: What is the wash-sale rule in Crypto?
    • Learn: What is Pepecoin and can it flip memecoins Dogecoin and Shiba Inu?
    • Learn: Can you recover stolen Bitcoin from crypto scams?
    • Learn: What the ‘anti-mining bill’ means for the crypto industry in Texas?
    • Learn: Does the US have a crypto ‘tax loophole’ problem?
    • Learn: How users can stay protected?
    • Learn: How Crypto Revolutionize Cheaper and Faster Transactions?
    • Learn: Can NFTs and CFDs be BFFs?
    • Learn: A PR expert’s tips for memecoin projects
    • Learn: Why politicians aren't convinced about the Digital Euro?
    • Learn: How A 90-Year Old TA Theory Predicted The Sudden Bitcoin Boom?
    • Learn: Social Trading Platforms and CFDs: A New Paradigm in Investment
    • Learn: How could the Chinese economic crisis impact Bitcoin and crypto?
    • Learn: How do they compare: Bitcoin IRA vs. traditional IRA?
    • Learn: Why Tokenized Assets Are Safer During a Banking Crisis?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 🛢️Ethereum
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • What can Ethereum do?
    • What is Ether (ETH)?
    • What's Unique About ETH?
    • What are Smart Contracts?
    • Energy Consumption?
    • Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)
    • Pros & Cons of Smart Contracts
    • Decentralized Applications (dApps)
    • Ethereum Token Standards (ERC-20, ERC-721 and ERC-1155)
    • Evolution of Ethereum
    • How to Get Your First Ethereum
    • Learn: Next Ethereum Upgrade — Shanghai Upgrade
    • Learn: Tipping Scale for Crypto Adoption: Usability vs. Accessibility
    • Learn: Major Publicly Traded U.S. Bitcoin Miner Files For Chapter 11 – Impact On The Market?
    • Learn: 5 altcoin projects that made a real difference in 2022
    • Learn: How Tether Can Be a More Stable Stablecoin?
    • Learn: Are the Ethereum Killers Still Deadly?
    • Learn: What Ethereum Tech Trends Are Weathering the Bear Market?
    • Learn: How Ethereum’s token burns are making it a deflationary cryptocurrency?
    • Learn: A few things to know about Ethereum's Shanghai Upgrade
    • Learn: The Role of Enterprise Ethereum
    • Learn: Understanding Layer 2 Scaling Solutions for the Ethereum Network
    • Learn: The Battle of Giants: Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Learn: Cryptography, Smart Contracts and Distributed Networks
    • Learn: The Memecoin Grift and How It Threatens Ethereum Culture
    • Learn: What Is Ethereum’s ‘Data Availability' Problem, and Why Does It Matter?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 👛Wallet
    • What is a Blockchain Wallet?
    • Hardware / Software Wallet
    • How to Get Your First Cryptocurrency
    • Setting up Metamask Wallet
    • Learn: How to connect the Avalanche network to MetaMask?
    • Learn: How to pass on your crypto when you die?
    • Learn: What are hierarchical deterministic (HD) crypto wallets?
    • Learn: Pros and Cons of Digital Wallets
    • Learn : How Web 3.0 Wallets Are Redefining Digital Asset Security?
    • Learn: Open source: Buzzword or real security for crypto wallets?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 🌕New & Rising Protocols
    • Binance
    • NEAR
    • Solana
    • Fantom
    • Polygon
    • Cardano
    • Polkadot
    • Cosmos
    • Harmony
    • Cronos
    • Optimism
    • Terra
    • Who Will Win the L1 Wars?
    • Learn: New Layer 1 Blockchains Are Expanding the DeFi Ecosystem But No Eth Killers Yet
    • Learn: Is an Increased Focus on Layer-2 Scaling and ZK Technology Justified?
    • Learn: What Are the Stakes in the SEC vs. Ripple Case?
    • Learn: What is The Graph, and how does it work?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 📈Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
    • CEX vs DEX
    • CeFi vs DeFi
    • Algorithmic Stablecoins
    • Airdrop
    • Liquidity Pool
    • Impermanent Loss
    • Swapping
    • Wrapped Token
    • Arbitrage Opportunities
    • Staking
    • Yield Farming
    • Total Value Locked (TVL)
    • Gas Fees
    • Lending & Borrowing
    • Useful Tools
    • Activity: Uniswap & Pancake Swap
    • Learn: Automated Market Makers (AMMs) in DeFi
    • Learn: Crypto Moving towards ESG: What Is Regenerative Finance (ReFi)
    • Learn: What Is dYdX? Understanding the Decentralized Crypto Exchange
    • Learn: It's A Wrap - DeFi in 2022
    • Learn: Why DeFi should expect more hacks this year?
    • Learn: The Security Challenges of DeFi
    • Learn: The Promising Future of Decentralized Social Media on Web 3.0
    • Learn: Can CBDCs, Tokenized Deposits, Stablecoins and DeFi Coexist?
    • Learn: The Increasing Popularity of DeFi and Its Potential to Disrupt Traditional Finance
    • Learn: The future of DeFi is ReFi
    • Learn: DeFi aggregation
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 🙈Non-Fungible Token (NFT)
    • What are NFTs?
    • Case Study
    • Storage
    • Who are the Players?
    • NFT Marketplace
    • NFT Useful Resources
    • Activity: Mint Your Own NFT
    • Learn: How You Can Prevent Hackers From Stealing Your NFTs?
    • Learn: What Is an NFT Floor Price?
    • Learn: Should Bored Ape buyers be legally entitled to refunds?
    • Learn: China’s view of NFTs different from rest of the world’s
    • Learn: NFTs IRL: How Digital Collectibles Are Forging Offline Experiences
    • Learn: How NFT Brands Can Cut Through The Noise
    • Learn: How Web3 disrupts the music sector?
    • Learn: Unlockable content in NFTs
    • Learn: Why Meta Matters in NFTs?
    • Learn: Should NFT Marketplaces Become Centralized?
    • Learn: Hermès vs. MetaBirkins: The NFT Case That Could Have Major Trademark and Artistic Consequence
    • Learn: What are phygital NFTs, and how do they work?
    • Learn: What is NFT ticketing and how does it work?
    • Learn: Why Solana NFT marketplace is seeing less active users?
    • Learn: NFTs and Intellectual Property
    • Learn: How AI Is Changing Artistic Creation and Challenging IP Laws?
    • Learn: The Future of NFTs: Exploring Dynamic NFTs and Their Versatile Use Cases
    • Learn: NFTs in the event and ticketing industry
    • Learn: What is NFT rarity, and how to calculate it?
    • Learn: What happens to your NFTs when you die?
    • Learn: Dogecoin-Like Spike in Milady NFTs After Elon Musk’s Tweet, But Will It Last?
    • Learn: What are NFT royalties, and how do they work?
    • Learn: How developers aim to store crypto inside NFTs?
    • Learn: Generative Art NFTs: What Are They & Why Are They So Popular?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 💗Metaverse
    • What is the Metaverse?
    • Metaverse Economy
    • Metaverse Companies
    • GameFi
    • Learn: Are We in the Metaverse Yet?
    • Learn: Can the Metaverse exist without blockchain?
    • Learn: Can the Metaverse Facilitate Sustainable Growth of Defi Systems?
    • Learn: What is the role of biometrics in the metaverse?
    • Learn: Can metaverse be the future court?
    • Learn: Metaverse Fashion Is on the Rise, but for Whom?
    • Learn: Sustainability in the Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities
    • Learn: How To Build A Responsible Metaverse?
    • Learn: What is a VTuber, and how do you become one?
    • Learn: How proof-of-identity provides human experiences?
    • Learn: The “Metaverse” Next Frontier for Business: Impact And Challenges
    • Learn: The 5 Biggest Misconceptions About The Metaverse
    • Learn: Why culture and ownership are critical to the metaverse?
    • TL;DR 👀
  • 👾Career in Web3 (coming soon)
    • Developers
    • Moderators
    • Community Managers
    • UI/ UX Designers
    • Digital Fashion Designers
  • 🌱Sustainability (Coming Soon)
    • Industry Effort
    • Co-author
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On this page
  • What does phygital NFT mean in crypto?
  • What industries will benefit from phygital NFTs?
  • How do different brands use phygital NFTs?
  • What are the advantages of phygital NFTs?
  • Are phygital NFTs better than conventional NFTs?
  • Are phygital NFTs the future?
  1. Non-Fungible Token (NFT)

Learn: What are phygital NFTs, and how do they work?

PreviousLearn: Hermès vs. MetaBirkins: The NFT Case That Could Have Major Trademark and Artistic ConsequenceNextLearn: What is NFT ticketing and how does it work?

Last updated 2 years ago

What does phygital NFT mean in crypto?

Phygital NFTs go beyond just the virtual use cases of NFTs and connect real-world products to the virtual world while relying on design principles.

The world is moving toward an experience economy focused on communities. As more businesses enter markets to serve their customers, one of the key distinguishing factors that could create a meaningful impact from a customer’s point of view is a community experience.

Phygital , an amalgamation of physical and digital nonfungible tokens, enable community experiences as brick-and-mortar businesses look to engage with their customers through NFTs.

Phygital NFTs allow buying and selling real-world physical goods and experiences through digital collectibles or NFTs. As grow and thrive, they start identifying themselves as being part of a tribe, thereby increasing customer retention for the business.

Phygital NFTs do not necessarily rely on native Web3 communities. For instance, NFT communities on and Solana often rely on native users of these is created on. However, communities around phygital NFTs can be blockchain agnostic and focus on the brand that they feel an affinity to.

What industries will benefit from phygital NFTs?

With several Web2 brands wanting to create closely knit communities, industry use cases for phygital NFTs are limited only by imagination.

Nonfungible tokens are truly industry agnostic. Most industries could create seamless community experiences using phygital NFTs that could have strong brand recognition and recall effects. However, brands that have embraced this paradigm have been in the luxury, fashion, food and beverages, wearables, entertainment and even fast-moving consumer goods sectors.

Here are some brands that have tapped into phygital NFTs to engage with their communities:

  • Starbucks Odyssey

  • Timex and the Bored Ape Yacht Club

  • The Whiskey Barrel, an online whiskey platform

  • Bstroy x Givenchy phygital experiences

  • Cult and Rain.

The above-mentioned examples are a small subset of a host of brands that have adopted phygital experiences, clearly validating the movement of companies toward phygital experiences and phygital NFTs.

How do different brands use phygital NFTs?

Being a nascent technology, brands are still just scratching the surface for use cases for phygital experiences. However, phygital NFTs could be a way to token-gate a community, create an incentive mechanism and a brand identity, and as a result, can help with user retention. Brands have used them for many of these purposes so far.

Another strategy is providing access to an alternative nonfungible token upon burning. There are also in-store NFT activations where customers collect an NFT once they have purchased a real-world product or service. Brands use these nonfungible tokens to offer targeted community experiences. These experiences provide customers with a sense of belonging, proving to be vital in retention and further acquisition.

Physical NFTs are also being used by gaming companies to provide new gaming experiences and to honor players for their accomplishments. For instance, a gaming corporation might let users buy and sell distinctive phygital NFTs that depict the characters, goods or weapons they use in-game.

These are just a few instances of how various brands are utilizing phygital NFTs to provide their clients with fresh and inventive experiences. Future applications of phygital nonfungible tokens are likely to be even more creative as this technology develops.

What are the advantages of phygital NFTs?

Community experience is just one big use case of phygital NFTs. Considering nonfungible tokens are authentic and tamper-proof, any person buying phygital NFTs can trace the evolution of the goods they buy right from the person who purchased them first. This helps build authenticity and trust, one of the cornerstones of economic transactions.

Thanks to traceability, phygital NFTs can also help with countering counterfeit products in the market, leading to original goods being sold. Finally, phygital nonfungible tokens create more collaboration and are a means for artists to monetize their skills. For instance, artists can monetize their work on Felt Zine by collaborating with a brand, such as Givenchy, to create branded content for the brand’s advertising and marketing campaigns.

This may entail producing fresh photographs, artwork or other visual materials that highlight the Givenchy brand or products. The artist may be compensated for their work in the form of a fee, royalties or a cut of sales proceeds from any products that incorporate their work. The artist may also gain visibility and acknowledgement for their work, which can strengthen their personal brand and attract new business opportunities for them to profit from their art.

This new technology has unearthed a few ways of collaboration across creators, developers, brands and their consumers using Web3 design fundamentals.

Are phygital NFTs better than conventional NFTs?

Proof of physical presence (PFP) NFTs have been the poster child of the NFT paradigm. Can phygital nonfungible tokens dethrone the king by virtue of their utility?

The PFP NFT acts as a certificate of authenticity, enabling the owner to prove that they own a unique, one-of-a-kind item, and can be used to verify the authenticity and ownership of physical items in the same way that traditional NFTs are used to verify the authenticity and ownership of digital assets.

Their value depends on demand and the utility around the NFT. While phygital NFTs also bring a physical touchpoint to the digital realm, the value of an NFT and its worth are contingent on a multitude of other factors, not to mention the appeal of the art.

Are phygital NFTs the future?

The world could be tokenized, and NFTs could be the means through which we perform commerce. Could that be the future?

Phygital nonfungible tokens have a strong value add and can be a part of any brand’s community initiatives. Considering the fact they are new, there is a buzz around them that brands can benefit from. With many Web2 incumbents and digital native companies jumping on the bandwagon, phygital NFTs are poised to be a major part of the community and marketing initiatives of companies.

However, the widespread adoption of phygital NFTs will likely depend on the development of practical and cost-effective solutions for storing, tracking and verifying the physical items represented by the NFTs. Additionally, phygital NFTs will also need to compete with conventional NFTs, which offer many of the same benefits without the added complexity and cost associated with tracking physical items.

Moreover, it remains to be seen how these initiatives can scale sustainably and add value to the brands utilizing them. Legal and regulatory frameworks around phygital NFTs also need clarity before phygital nonfungible tokens can become a household phenomenon.

There are multiple ways that brands enable phygital activations. One of the ways that brands create phygital experiences is by asking users to and then nudging them to burn it for access to physical goods or experiences. An example of this is the Nouns Vision project.

On top of the community experience, phygital NFTs also help build that is being sold to a customer. The history of the product and its providence can add credibility and commercial value to a physical good.

So, it’s difficult to say that phygital nonfungible tokens are better than conventional NFTs. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and the ideal solution may depend on the item being monetized and the intended use of the NFT. However, phygital NFTs promise to be the bridge between the digital and brick-and-mortar world. They are also .

This article first appeared in Cointelegraph, by

🙈
Web3
nonfungible tokens (NFTs)
collectors of phygital NFTs
Ethereum
blockchains that the NFT
buy the NFT
traceability into a product
bridging Web2 brands with Web3 fundamentals
Arunkumar Krishnakumar