Tag: qr codes

A Dutch test run in a retail store has shown that near field communication beat out quick response barcodes.

According to the fashion retailer, Vic, following an in store pilot program that used both NFC technology tags and QR codes, it was the former that was more popular among its customers.

The store feels that this is an important discovery in terms of what experience consumers find most appealing.

According to a release issued by Vic, “We have found that the NFC tags are more popular than the QR codes because they are very simple to use.” It went on to say that “It is definitely something we hope to keep in our store going forward into the future; it is our way of connecting our online and offline worlds.”

The NFC technology pilot program was used in the Groningen location in the Netherlands.

There were tags encoded with NFC technology located within the retail store location that allowed shoppers to use their smartphone to access additional information about products, as well as promotional videos and discount vouchers.

The program was managed by the provider of NFC technology tags and QR codes, SenseMe. It placed these tags and barcodes around the store location in various places that were felt to be relevant, as well as on some of the individual product items, themselves.

By using either form of tech through a smartphone, shoppers could view a promotional video or head to the website of the specific brand in order to learn more detailed information about that brand or its products. Vouchers and coupon offers were also available.

According to Jouke De Jong, the manager of the store that participated in this trial, “It is a very cool system, especially for some brands who have a lot of information on their websites about certain products.” The location also made sure to show customers how to take advantage of this digital material through the use of tablets.

They demonstrated both the QR codes and the NFC technology enabled tags so that customers would understand their benefits and could choose to use them when they were seeking additional information. What the store determined was that the tags were more popular than the barcodes simply because of the ease of their use.

Chungwa, a carrier from Taiwan, will be launching its service in the summer of 2013.

The latest technology news from Taiwan is that Chungwa Telecom Co., the largest mobile network operator in the country, will be launching a mobile payments program that will use QR codes to allow the transactions to be completed.

This could make a considerable difference in the adoption rate of mobile payments in Taiwan.

In order to use the program, consumers would use their smartphones to scan QR codes so that they can make payments to complete purchases of goods and services while in stores. This, according to a report that was released by the company, itself, announcing the upcoming mobile friendly service.

Pending regulatory approval from the QR codes could start to be used as early as June.

As of the launch of the QR codes based mobile payments service, the program is slated to become available to consumers as of June 2013. The report did not announce how many partner merchants have signed up to take part in the program, so far.

Chungwa is a company that is a part of a consortium that is made up of the biggest mobile carriers in Taiwan. This group has also been looking beyond QR codes and is investigating mobile wallet products that would use NFC technology. They believe that this could help to make mobile payments more appealing to individuals who are carrying enabled devices.

That initiative was launched earlier in 2013, but would not be ready until well after the service using the QR codes has already been implemented. Chungwa had actually launched a trial of an NFC technology based mobile payments service, last year, but the most recent report issued by the company didn’t mention whether that is for a program that would take over for the barcodes, or whether it would run the two types of payment services in tandem with one another.

At the moment, it will be the service using the QR codes that will first become available. Whether it will be temporary to draw attention to this type of smartphone-based payments or whether it will continue to run even if NFC technology is implemented, only time will tell.