What is a mobile barcode?
A mobile barcode is a graphical image that stores digital information. Whereas the linear barcodes commonly found on products in store are one-dimensional, storing data in series of vertical bars, mobile barcodes store information in two dimensions, vertically and horizontally as a pattern of dots. This means that 2D barcodes can store thousands of characters of data, while their predecessors, the 1D barcodes, are limited to 10-20 characters.
Mobile barcodes can be used in many ways. For example, they can bring static marketing and advertising campaigns on billboards or in press to life with mobile engagement and interactivity. In retail, barcodes can help shoppers by providing additional information on products, such as nutritional or safety details or by adding products to a virtual shopping basket when shopping on the mobile Web. Barcodes can be used for mobile ticketing or promotions such as discount coupons. By embedding mobile barcodes into product or delivery packaging, suppliers and logistics companies can more easily track deliveries and update stock information.
How are mobile barcodes used in different types of industries? How will they be used in the future?
In 2010, we saw 2D campaigns used in many industries in a range of diverse ways, though most commonly for marketing and advertising purposes.
With major global brands and retailers, such as Calvin Klein and McDonald’s using 2D codes to provide greater engagement and interactivity to their marketing campaigns, it helps to drive greater proliferation of codes and awareness of codes among consumers and brands.
In retail, mobile barcodes are used to improve footfall into stores, when sent via MMS as part of a mobile coupons or as an offer to be captured from an ad. The codes are verified in-store with a 2D barcode scanner. They can also improve shoppers’ in-store experience, when the consumer scans a code on product packaging, with their phone, it can reveal on screen more information about a product’s nutritional value, or a useful recipe, for example. Also virtual shopping becomes a breeze, when customers can simply snap a barcode of the product that’s running low, it adds the item to their basket - UK supermarket Tesco recently introduced a barcode scanner into its mobile application.
In both the entertainment and travel industries, integrating 2D barcodes into mobile-ticketing applications makes it much easier to validate event or travel m-tickets, the customer simply presents the code displayed on a mobile phone screen to be scanned on arrival. This makes staffing more efficient, simplifying and speeding up the customer experience. It eliminates paper tickets, which is cheaper for the provider, more environmentally friendly and reduces the chance of tickets being lost or forged.
Service and utility companies can use mobile codes as a track-and-trace tool. This helps management teams to follow their workforce’s progress on the ground and keep on top of stock delivery and supplies.
In 2011, I expect:
• Greater industry agreement on open standards and interoperability.
• Larger volume of campaigns deployed by the leading players – Facebook, eBay, Google, Apple – which will help to drive consumer awareness (and hopefully, a significant viral event) around this media element.
• Greater integration of mobile 2D barcodes in retail – both on-shelf and on packaging – for applications ranging from marketing/advertising to loyalty to supply-chain management.
• 2D mobile barcodes becoming an essential part of traditional and digital media campaigns – as commonly seen with the URL address. This is a longer-term goal, but certainly attainable, once we tackle some of the challenges we face as an industry.
A mobile barcode is a graphical image that stores digital information. Whereas the linear barcodes commonly found on products in store are one-dimensional, storing data in series of vertical bars, mobile barcodes store information in two dimensions, vertically and horizontally as a pattern of dots. This means that 2D barcodes can store thousands of characters of data, while their predecessors, the 1D barcodes, are limited to 10-20 characters.
Mobile barcodes can be used in many ways. For example, they can bring static marketing and advertising campaigns on billboards or in press to life with mobile engagement and interactivity. In retail, barcodes can help shoppers by providing additional information on products, such as nutritional or safety details or by adding products to a virtual shopping basket when shopping on the mobile Web. Barcodes can be used for mobile ticketing or promotions such as discount coupons. By embedding mobile barcodes into product or delivery packaging, suppliers and logistics companies can more easily track deliveries and update stock information.
How are mobile barcodes used in different types of industries? How will they be used in the future?
In 2010, we saw 2D campaigns used in many industries in a range of diverse ways, though most commonly for marketing and advertising purposes.
With major global brands and retailers, such as Calvin Klein and McDonald’s using 2D codes to provide greater engagement and interactivity to their marketing campaigns, it helps to drive greater proliferation of codes and awareness of codes among consumers and brands.
In retail, mobile barcodes are used to improve footfall into stores, when sent via MMS as part of a mobile coupons or as an offer to be captured from an ad. The codes are verified in-store with a 2D barcode scanner. They can also improve shoppers’ in-store experience, when the consumer scans a code on product packaging, with their phone, it can reveal on screen more information about a product’s nutritional value, or a useful recipe, for example. Also virtual shopping becomes a breeze, when customers can simply snap a barcode of the product that’s running low, it adds the item to their basket - UK supermarket Tesco recently introduced a barcode scanner into its mobile application.
In both the entertainment and travel industries, integrating 2D barcodes into mobile-ticketing applications makes it much easier to validate event or travel m-tickets, the customer simply presents the code displayed on a mobile phone screen to be scanned on arrival. This makes staffing more efficient, simplifying and speeding up the customer experience. It eliminates paper tickets, which is cheaper for the provider, more environmentally friendly and reduces the chance of tickets being lost or forged.
Service and utility companies can use mobile codes as a track-and-trace tool. This helps management teams to follow their workforce’s progress on the ground and keep on top of stock delivery and supplies.
In 2011, I expect:
• Greater industry agreement on open standards and interoperability.
• Larger volume of campaigns deployed by the leading players – Facebook, eBay, Google, Apple – which will help to drive consumer awareness (and hopefully, a significant viral event) around this media element.
• Greater integration of mobile 2D barcodes in retail – both on-shelf and on packaging – for applications ranging from marketing/advertising to loyalty to supply-chain management.
• 2D mobile barcodes becoming an essential part of traditional and digital media campaigns – as commonly seen with the URL address. This is a longer-term goal, but certainly attainable, once we tackle some of the challenges we face as an industry.
nice topic..........
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