R U Ready 4 QR Codes?

“When a customer scans the barcode with their phone, it launches a mobile-ready product detail and ordering page,” she says. “This enables the customer to grab the page for follow-up while on the go or for sharing with others.”

The goal for CBC America is to provide an innovative service for Computar/Ganz's customers, and then move forward based on customer feedback, Matthews says.

The company believes the codes provide a simple method to offer extended product information while facilitating a sales connection. Matthews would not say if the company plans to use QR codes in its annual catalog next year. “We believe that adoption of physical hyperlinking in the U.S. will mirror the success experienced overseas,” Matthews says. “This will require mainstream exposure and education.”

Once consumers embrace the technology, Harper envisions some merchants using QR codes on the covers of their catalogs. Eventually, they may generate individual codes to be used for each product offering.

Technology notwithstanding, Digby's Sikora wonders how some merchants would handle the creative elements of incorporating a QR code into their print advertising and catalogs. He is a bit surprised that a high-end brand such as Ralph Lauren is including QR codes on its expensive creative pieces.

“I can't see Ralph Lauren putting a hideous barcode on every beautiful ad they produce,” Sikora says. The brand's creative is typically very artful and interesting, “and then you've got this big black-and-white thing in the corner, ruining it.”

	Stores should home in on GPS

GOT A BLACKBERRY? Then you have GPS in the palm of your hand. And within five years, Digby CEO Dave Sikora thinks GPS will be standard on all mobile devices sold in the U.S.

So if you've got bricks-and-mortar as one of your channels, Sikora thinks you should definitely take advantage of the technology.

That was one of the perks his client, Godiva Chocolatier, touted when it went mobile in May. The idea was simple: If you didn't want to buy from Godiva's BlackBerry store, you could go to the store locator and find the closest retailer or boutique.

The GPS on cell phones does have its limitations: You have to be outside to connect to the satellite. And if you're in a large city, buildings can interfere with the signal.

But even if you don't have GPS on your phone, there are several applications out there that allow for cell tower triangulation. With the right application, your phone can bounce a signal off multiple cell towers to help you find your destination.

“We haven't even started to see how bricks-and-mortar retailers can leverage GPS,” Sikora says. “Where is a store? Where can I find product? What's the closest place in stock? How many ways can you leverage that?” — TP