Youku is using the smartphone barcodes to promote the use of its website by device users.
The leading video website in China, called Youku, has just added QR codes into every one of the videos on its desktop website in order to promote the use of smartphones and tablets in order to view them.
Though this may be quite a small and simple mobile marketing step, it is one that is quite creative.
The result is that each of the video pages on the Youku website – including those for its licensed movie and television show content – now features small icons that can be clicked in order to display larger QR codes. By using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet to scan the quick response barcodes, the same video on the desktop or laptop screen will then launch in the smaller device’s browser. If the Youku app is already present on the Android or iOS device, it will launch the video in that, instead.
The QR codes lead to videos that don’t require flash, as the site is based on an HTML5 version.
Many users have already reported that scanning the QR codes have brought about successful video playing on their devices, including on Chrome for Android. They have also noted that the videos will play both vertically and horizontally. These barcodes can be scanned using any scanning app, including any of the dozens that are available for free for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry devices.
The newly merged company that is officially called Youku Tudou has recently made note of the fact that 15 percent of the traffic to its Youku website in September was from mobile devices. Liu Dele, the president of the company, has said that it is expected that this trend will experience growth “very quickly”. As the usage of the internet over mobile has now surpassed that over desktop and laptop computers as of August of last year in China, it looks as though the tipping point has already been reached and the new online focus will be on the smaller screens of smartphone and tablet devices.
TAS Group and Payair team to introduce new mobile commerce solution
The TAS Group and Payair, both leaders in the mobile shopping and payments space, have joined forces to launch a new mobile commerce solution for retailers in Europe. Mobile commerce has been growing in several European countries over the past two years, with many consumers showing favor for using their mobile devices to purchase products rather than traditional forms of currency. The TAS Group and Payair believe that a new mobile commerce platform will help spread the reach of mobile commerce throughout the region.
Platform will include technologies and services from both companies
The new mobile commerce platform incorporates technologies and services from both companies. Payair’s mobile payment systems will be in place for the platform, while technology from the TAS Group that is used to manage payments and other such services will also be a prominent feature of the platform. Location-based marketing, CRM, and analytic data will all be used to ensure that the platform will be a major benefit for its adopters.
Mobile commerce transactions protected through cloud network
The mobile commerce platform is being designed to be safe for consumers to use. Consumers will simply register their financial information through a cloud computing network. The network will not store this data in any way and it is simple used for verification purposes initially. When a consumer makes a purchase using the new platform, they make a connection to the cloud network, which accesses their financial information to complete the transaction. Once payment has been rendered, the connection is severed.
Platform uses QR codes rather than NFC technology
Of note, the mobile commerce platform will not be making use of NFC technology. This technology has become a cornerstone for most modern mobile commerce initiatives, but has also attracted strong criticism from the parties interested in mobile payments. Instead, Payair and the TAS Group will be focusing on QR codes. The codes can be scanned to initiate a mobile transaction. Retailers using the platform will be able to link QR codes to all of their products, with each code being unique for each product that company is selling.
