R U Ready for QR Codes?
CBC introduces QR codes to the busines-to-business market in the US. An excerpt from article appearing in MultiChannel Merchant, October 2008
QR codes can be seen everywhere in Japan — no surprise, since Japanese firm Denso-Wave created the technology in 1994. Cell phone users in Japan can click a QR code printed on a poster at a movie theater and view its trailer.
It helps that QR code readers come as a standard feature on cell phones in Japan and Australia. And Harper says they're starting to become standard in certain parts of China, such as Beijing. (The software remains open-source in the U.S., though Nokia did add it to its N95 model.)
Computar/Ganz, a business-to-business marketer of cameras and security systems, in March started using the codes on each of its Website product pages. The company's parent is CBC America, which is owned by a Japanese company. Its catalogs in Japan already contain the QR codes.
But Computar/Ganz, which worked with Engagelogic on the QR code initiative, is taking baby steps with the technology in the U.S., says Nina Matthews, marketing coordinator for CBC America.
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.
