EBay QR Code Promotion Means Literal Sidewalk Sale

Here is the latest update in mobile technology for shoppers, and I must say that I find this concept intriguing: eBay has opened a store that is literally a storefront. Shoppers can look at merchandise on offer and use QR codes to buy products while standing on the sidewalk.

The eBay Inspiration Shop is located at 404 Park Avenue South in New York. It does not have an interior space where shoppers enter to browse through merchandise and make purchases. For this shop, all the action is confined to the store window. Consumers who don’t live in the area can check out the store from the eBay Facebook page or by visiting m.InspirationShop.eBay.com.

The items in the store are all equipped with QR codes. Consumers need only take a picture of it with their mobile phones to access the eBay app, which allows them to browse through similar items or to go to a checkout.

I’m already thinking about what shopping would be like if this idea takes off. I would like to have the option of shopping from the sidewalk and avoiding having to go into crowded stores. I know I don’t enjoy dealing with pushy staff when I need to buy something, and being able to simply point a smartphone at the code and scan it is a much simpler way to shop.