Gizmos and gadgets merchant Brookstone always tries to be on the hip side of technology. Now they are showing it’s tech-savvy in a two-dimensional way.
Brookstone is trying out QR codes on select products in 30 stores in the New York area, and has also placed them on the back cover of its May catalog.
The back cover of the May catalog edition includes four QR codes, each with a specific purpose. When scanned with a smartphone, one directs users to a listing of stores, one goes to Brookstone’s Facebook page, one allows users to shop and the other code is used to call customer service.
Patricia Campopiano, manager of the Brookstone store on Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, says the in-store QR codes let customers with smartphones search for more information on Brookstone’s mobile site.
Do most consumers know what to do with QR codes?
Though smartphone adoption is on the rise, Campopiano says she and her associates have had educate some shoppers about QR codes, how to find QR code readers on their phones, and even how to download apps that read 2D barcodes.
But more tech-savvy customers have been quick to whip out their Androids, Blackberrys and iPhones and scan away.
Where have the codes worked best? Campopiano says the higher the price of the item, the more scanning activity. The biggest reason anecdotally: Customers are scanning the QR codes to check out technical information about certain items, as well as to find ratings and reviews.
Here’s a video of Campopiano putting QR codes to work: