Imagine that you’re looking for a house to buy. You’re driving through a neighborhood and see a house that looks interesting. You stop, get out your smartphone, scan a barcode on the For Sale sign, and take home with you all of the listing information and photos that you’ll need for making a decision about purchasing the house.
Moving on to a retail store, you see an item of interest and want more information about it before you buy. Again, you pull out your smartphone, scan the barcode, and receive everything you need to know to be able to compare the item against other products.
Would this technology be helpful to you? Apparently many people think it so, because the use of mobile bar code usage jumped 700% in 2010 compared with 2009, according to a survey by Scanbuy.
Mobile tags, action codes and QR (Quick Response) two dimensional bar codes are on the way to becoming increasingly important marketing and sales tools. The technology increases value to the customer without a significant cost factor, and provides an avenue for additional sales for retailers.
The most significant drawback presently is the compatibility of codes and code readers, a challenge that will undoubtedly be overcome as usage increases. Another challenge lies in customers’ comfort in using the technology. Considering that the children of baby boomers have grown up with keyboards in their hands, however, this shouldn’t be a significant negative factor.
Keeping abreast of new technologies is important to CCS. If you have questions about barcode usage or any other aspect of your CounterPoint POS Software, we’re here to help you. Call us at 800-672-4806 or email us for assistance.