Barcode Scanners
Barcode scanning using mobile phones was a huge trend this year – even if it’s about to be phased out thanks to developments in NFC technology. Consumers apparently craved the technology leading to an increase in its use. Mobile barcode scanning was up 700% in 2010, a report released this fall revealed. But reaching this momentum didn’t occur without a few stumbles – Google ran a fairly unsuccessful campaign placing QR codes in newspapers, for example. But later on, magazines like Entertainment Weekly and others had more luck with its embrace of the cross-platform Microsoft Tag to link to movie trailers and ads from the pages of its glossy magazine. Allure magazine also found that their Microsoft Tag campaign resulted in 444,572 scans.
Retailers got in on the action too: both Amazon and eBay launched mobile applications that included barcode scanning features this year, Amazon through an update to its mobile app, and eBay through the acquisition of Red Laser. Best Buy launched its own consumer electronics scanning app, Bing’s iPhone app added the functionality in June and Google launched Google Shopper.
Alexander Muse, Co-Founder of mobile scanning app ShopSavvy has seen major growth over 2010 as well. “Our year-over-year growth rate is north of 300% ,” he said. “What started as a novelty in 2008 has become a standard way to shop for millions of users across the globe.”
Blake Scholl, Co-Founder and CEO of Kima Labs, makers of the barcode-scanning app Barcode Hero, has seen similar trends. “The first generation of barcode scanning apps was all about comparing prices — but we’re already starting to see a smarter, second generation of apps that connects in-store shoppers with their social networks and community experts to help compare products and find the best item — not just the best price.”
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