Category: Mobile Marketing

The barcodes were used on a virtual shopping wall outside an Australian movie theater.

Disney partnered up with an Australian mid-market retailer called Target for a mobile marketing campaign using QR codes in order to reach children attending a screening of the classic animated film, Cinderella.

The barcodes were mounted on an interactive shopping wall to allow kids to learn about branded products.

The wall was located at a Sydney movie theater. It was geared toward children using their parents smartphones. It displayed a number of branded Disney products that may be of interest to those children and that were being sold at Target. The QR codes allowed the children to learn more about those products so that they could be purchased by their parents.

The QR codes were designed to simultaneously build on the child’s experience and display various products.

The Event Cinema virtual wall was at Sydney’s Castle Hill. This was where the Cinderella was being screened over the weekend. The QR codes were left up only for that one weekend as a deliberate temporary mobile commerce event, and not one that was designed to be permanent. Audience members were able to view various Disney products from Target, such as costumes and DVDs, and allowed them to order them online to be shipped to their homes.

“Like with everything else, young kids will be seeing the movie with their parents, so it’s expected they’ll use their parent’s smartphones to interact with the wall,” said a spokesperson from Disney. When the QR codes on the wall were scanned, they directed the user to the Target website page that was connected to the product next to which the barcode was displayed. They could be scanned either with any free barcode reader, or the Disney Princess Store app.

Disney has been taking several steps into the mobile commerce world, including augmented reality toys, shopping applications, and a number of other efforts. It has also used QR codes for several other purposes, for instance, to connect the user with different types of online content, like videos. However, this is the first time that the company has ever used these barcodes as a virtual store or to help to link consumers directly to a page where they can make a purchase.

Mobile search highlighted in new study from Google

Google has teamed with Nielsen, a leading market research firm, to release the results of a new study that the two parties have been conducting for some time. The study highlights the amount of time that consumers devote to searches on their mobile devices. With the growing prominence of mobile commerce, mobile search is gaining more attention and understanding how consumers are using their time to search could be a major benefit to companies  that want to engage mobile consumers.

Consumers searching for products from their mobile device

According to the study, 55% of the time consumers spend on mobile searches is to find a product to purchase. The study shows that within an hour of when consumers find a product they are interested in, they will purchase that product directly from their mobile device. The study also shows that 45% of mobile searches are conducted in order to help a consumer make a purchase decision. One of the more interesting discoveries highlighted by the study is that nearly two-thirds of consumers actually conduct mobile searches while in a store.

In-store searchers are common

Many analysts suggest that mobile technology and the ability to purchase products from a mobile device is causing consumers to avoid traditional brick-and-mortar stores. The study shows that consumers till favor visiting stores for products, but shows that more people are relying on their mobile devices for product research. These devices, which enjoy a constant connection to the Internet, are ideal research tools as they allow consumers to find a wealth of information concerning a particular product or the brand associated with that product.

Mobile search may be a promising opportunity for advertisers

While the study shows that mobile searches do occur in stores, consumers are more likely to search for products on their mobile device while they are at home or at work. The popularity of mobile search could be a major opportunity for advertisers that are looking to engage mobile consumers. The study suggests that consumers participating in mobile search are inclined to follow advertisements that they find on websites and search engines while trying to find certain products.