Like many of you out there, I was certainly one of those children who forced siblings, parents and friends into playing ‘shop’ on a daily basis. When many retailers introduced self scanning machines – even though they’re now the bane of my life – some of the magic came back to me, particularly in stores like Ikea that let you actually have your own scanning gun - I think that’s what they’re called?!
Now it seems that your mobile phone can be transformed into one of these exciting scanning devices, as many companies from supermarkets to travel providers are introducing barcodes and QR codes to make our lives easier, advertise products or give customers access to special promotions. I’m sure everyone’s familiar with what a barcode is, but what’s a QR code and how does it work?
Well, it’s just another kind of barcode really but consists of black squares on a white background. Just like a barcode it can be scanned by different devices which then reveals encoded text, a URL or any other kind of data. They’ve been around a while but it’s only recently that you can see them on travel documents in the place of a ticket, advertising campaigns, like Oasis’ Rubberduckzilla and even art projects due to their unusual design. Both barcode and QR code scanning is also taking centre stage in the mobile phone application market, with many popular retail brands introducing scanning functionalities to give out promotions, aid shopping or help customers find products.
Last month Alison Duker reviewed Debenhams’ iPhone application for BitchBuzz Tech. The new app encourages users to scan QR codes for promotions and deals as well as allowing them to scan barcodes to find out more product information – including price, description and whether other colours and sizes are in stock.
Popular retailer Tesco has also recently unveiled a UK first for the supermarket industry, the Tesco iPhone app that allows users to scan items themselves. The thing I love about this app is that you can use it wherever you are, so if you’re at a friend’s house eating cake and decide you want it yourself, you can just scan the barcode and it’s added to your shopping basket. Anything that makes the long and tedious weekly food shop any easier is bound to be a hit!
Finally, online retailer ASOS has embedded a QR code onto its website and in recent promotional emails to give smart phone users easy access to its mobile site. Simply hold up your phone to the QR code and you’ll be quickly transported.
It’s interesting to see brands using QR codes and barcodes in practical ways. The examples above make shopping experiences easier and give customers much more information about products which means they have more freedom to make the right purchase decision.
If you want to have a play around with QR codes but don’t know where to start, download an app that can read QR codes - try NeoReader or BeeTagg. Open the app and touch ‘camera’ so that your phone’s camera will now be on screen. Point your camera at the QR code at the top of this post and you should see a message from BitchBuzz!