Tag: quick response codes

QR codes are central to a new Barneys New York mcommerce campaign

| December 28, 2012

qr codes retailThe store location in Ginza, Tokyo, is using quick response barcodes in a unique new way.

Ginza, Tokyo, is one of the most luxurious shopping districts around the globe, and its Barneys New York location is now using QR codes to appeal to a chic, tech savvy, and smartphone equipped consumer.

The barcode display has been designed to project it onto the storefront window every fifteen minutes.

The display was created by Simon Doonan, who has been creating window setups for the company for a quarter of a century. The QR codes in these displays are shown only once every quarter of an hour, and individuals who are patient and lucky enough to be able to scan them enter into the chance to win one of a number of different prizes.

The display with the QR codes is being called the “Treasure Hunt Window”.

The promotion ran throughout the entire length of the holiday season in order to give consumers the largest possible opportunity to spot the QR codes, scan them, and grab their chance to win a prize.

These window displays have been capturing a large amount of attention and have effectively brought traditional advertising and the mcommerce channel together. It has also provided the company with an added opportunity to sell more product throughout the holiday season – regardless of whether or not the store was actually open at the time – as users were also capable of heading to the store’s optimized website.

This means that the QR codes allowed consumers to try to win a prize, but they could also visit the mobile commerce website so that they could view some of the many products available at the store, and make a purchase as the site is equipped with a shopping cart and checkout option, as well.

This is not the first time that QR codes have been used by Barneys New York. They have also run a full magazine ad campaign that gave smartphone users the same opportunity to shop at the mobile optimized website of the store and to learn more about the products that they have seen in the ads that were printed in the magazines.

QR codes are expected to make a splash in 2013

| December 22, 2012

QR Codes 2013Stores made out of quick response barcodes are going to be a big hit next year.

A growing number of retailers are bridging the gap between their physical brick and mortar shops and the digital universe through the use of QR codes.

This year, more than three hundred 2d barcode stores popped up all over the world.

As impressive as that may sound, it represents only a fraction of the number that are already in the works for next year. At the moment, more than 2,000 stores based on QR codes are already being planned for launch during 2013.

As mobile devices achieve greater penetration, retailers are finding better uses for QR codes.

Chains of retailers and supermarkets have been seeking a way to span the gap between the real world and the online environment, and QR codes have handed them an affordable, simple, and increasingly recognized way to accomplish this goal. It is also allowing them to bring virtual stores into real life, where they can sell products which are depicted in images virtually anywhere – on billboards, on walls of train stations, in a magazine ad, or even on the product, itself.

Consumers simply need to scan the QR codes related to the product that interests them in order to call up the page that will allow them to quickly order it and have it delivered to their homes. The trend has been taking off and is expected to reach an explosive level next year. Among the primary companies driving this trend is a Dutch internet startup called Shop2Mobi. It gives retailers the ability to create their quick response barcode stores from the ground up.

According to the Shop2Mobi co-founder, Roman Markovski, “Offering customers ultimate convenience, both offline and online, is a huge trend.” The QR codes are already being used by companies worldwide in order to sell their products. They include everything from small businesses to large international corporations such as Walmart, Tesco, Best Buy, and PayPal.

The U.K. and Amsterdam were also the home of special popup stores based on QR codes. These digital malls in the middle of city centers were opened by John Lewis and eBay this year.