Businesses and Consumers Can Benefit from QR Codes

QR codes can be a great way to share information with potential buyers, when used correctly. These square codes can be placed on packaging, websites, signs, or in magazines and newspapers, and can make an effective marketing tool. 

When the QR codes are scanned with a smartphone, the mobile device user can access specific content produced by the company. The consumer may see a video, a company website or gain access to coupons and special offers simply by scanning the code. They can also be used to suggest other products in which the buyer may be interested. This type of suggestive selling can be an effective way to keep the consumer in the store longer, and potentially encourage him or her to continue shopping after scanning the QR code. 

I can also see that QR codes can be effectively used by consumers for their own applications. A consumer can use a QR code generator to make their own personal codes to mark items and keep track of records. This application could be used to mark boxes when moving to make unpacking a much more efficient process.

Another personal application for QR codes that I can envision consumers using at home is if they want to mark boxes of craft supplies, toys, receipts and other items that they will need to keep track of. Scanning the code with a smartphone will indicate at a glance what the contents of a particular box are without having to go through it.

Hospitality Industry Using QR Codes to Improve Guests' Experience

As time goes on, I'm always interested to find out how QR codes are being used by businesses of all kinds. The hospitality industry has come up with some interesting ways to use them to help ensure that guests enjoy their stay.

An example of one innovative way that QR codes are being used to relay information to guests is being used at the National Conference Center. The codes are posted at different locations throughout the facility to indicate eco-friendly policies. Guests scan the QR codes to learn more about other areas of the premises where the green initiatives are being used.

Guests who are staying at the Best Western Hotel Le Montparnasse in Paris who want to find out what amenities are available can scan a QR code from a brochure placed in their room. When the guest scans the code, they see a PDF document indicating all the amenities in that room. This is a highly effective way to provide a lot of information in a quick and convenient manner.

QR codes can also be used as on-site promotional tool. I was really impressed to learn that the Fountainebleau Hotel Miami Beach regularly uses QR codes to direct guests to landing pages that provide detailed information about its restaurants, bars, and spa facilities.

All of these methods of using QR codes are quite creative. I can see how using them can help to accomplish the goal of providing information without incurring large costs for printing materials.

Mobile Health Apps to Increase with Smartphone Adoption

With the current popularity of smartphones with the general public, it makes perfect sense that these devices would be playing a larger role in mobile health applications. According to Juniper research, approximately three million smart phone owners will be using them for this purpose by the year 2016.

I can see handheld devices, such as smartphones, being an increasingly important part of healthcare in the future. They can be used to monitor cardiac patients without the person having to stay in a hospital, and this application could be used to monitor patients diagnosed with other types of chronic diseases.

This type of technology is already being used to monitor patients with diabetes. The camera function on smartphones can be used to provide information to dermatologists about wound care. As long as the camera on the phone can provide a good quality image, the doctor can monitor whether a patient is healing properly or if further treatment measures for ulcers and other disorders affecting the skin are necessary.

I was especially interested to learn that the company is predicting that users will download 44 million healthcare apps in 2012 and that this number will increase to 142 million in 2016. Over time, I can see smartphone technology being used to store and share health records.  Any application that can help doctors access information about their patients quickly and efficiently can only be good news for healthcare providers as well as the patients under their care.

Mobile Marketers Used Multiple Strategies During Super Bowl

The Super Bowl wasn't just a major sporting event for gridiron fans of all ages; it was also an opportunity for mobile marketers to use a number of methods to reach out to consumers. I knew that a large number sports fans were expected to be using their mobile devices during the game, which meant that I wasn't surprised to find that Chevy decided to run a special Super Bowl promotion through iPhone and android apps. Participants would answer trivia questions for a chance to win one of 20 vehicles. Other companies, including Pepsi, Coke, and Subway, use similar strategies for advertising campaigns.

Go Daddy used a QR code during its Super Bowl commercial. I can understand how the strategy would appeal to TV viewers who are able to stop the program and go back to it later on.  They would have the opportunity to scan the QR code after watching the commercial, which means that the company has more than one opportunity to reach out to potential buyers.

I found the results of a survey conducted by Mobile Consumption to be quite interesting as well. Approximately 40 percent of responders said that they used mobile devices in response to ads on television. Almost half of respondents stated that they were planning to spend at least 30 minutes using mobile devices while the game was on.

Now that mobile marketing has successfully been used during a Super Bowl game, this trend will likely continue in future years.

Mobile Marketers Targeting Super Bowl Fans

The days of sitting down in front of the television to watch the Super Bowl may be over. A survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that 60 percent of mobile phone owners stated that they were going to use their phones while checking out the action on the field. We'll soon find out what the actual mobile interaction during the Super Bowl was, but I imagine it was pretty high, and opens up a new opportunity for mobile engagement marketing.

I was really surprised to discover that a number of respondents stated that they were planning to use their smartphones during half time and while ads are running on television. While these results may not be good news for companies shelling out about $3.5 million for an ad on game day, it does open up an opportunity for companies to step up their mobile marketing strategies to reach out to this huge market of potential customers.

This phenomenon has been called the "second screen market," and I think that companies who are well positioned to take advantage of it will do very well. Unlike a television commercial, which is a one-way form of communication, mobile ads on smartphones have the potential to be an interactive experience for the consumer.

The person viewing the ad on a mobile phone or a tablet can see the message and then use the device to visit the company website to see special offers or get a discount coupon. The longer the customer is focused on the company's message, the more likely the interaction will result in a sale. I declare this strategy a winner, no matter what happens in the Super Bowl.

Majority of Tablet Owners Making Purchases Weekly

The tablet is increasing in popularity among consumers, still, we were surprised to discover that most tablet owners are using them to make purchases weekly. According to a report published by theInteractive Advertising Bureau, 72 percent of tablet owners use their devices for mobile commerce.

The average amount of time spent on retail therapy each week by tablet owners is 4.4 hours. Smartphone owners reported spending 2.2 hours weekly making purchases. PC owners said they spent 2.9 hours each week shopping online.

With tablet sales continuing to grow, the number of consumers using this type of device for surfing the internet and making purchases will increase. What can companies interested in mobile marketing learn from this? I would say that these numbers could be interpreted to mean that a pool of buyers is already in place and that they are prepared to open their wallets.

Mobile marketers should take this information to heart. They can make the necessary changes to ensure that tablet users will land on websites that are mobile-ready and will provide a rich experience for them. Tablets are very popular among consumers looking for downloadable products, and companies offering them will want to make sure that buyers can make a selection, pay for it, and download it quickly and easily.

Shopping with tablets is far from being a fad. Now that consumers are embracing this type of mobile device for making purchases, it will continue to grow in popularity.

Smartphone Users Not Implementing Security Measures

As we look in depth at the state of mobile security, I was very surprised to learn of the disconnect between smartphone users' knowledge that they should be taking steps to protect themselves from mobile security threats and their actions. An online survey conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance found that approximately 75 percent of respondents knew that there was a risk to their smartphones from hackers, but they were not being proactive about protecting themselves.

With nine out of ten smartphone users storing personal information on their handheld devices and over 80 percent of users indicating they were concerned about security issues, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me that consumers are not taking action. I also found it surprising that men were savvier about mobile security issues, while women were more focused on concerns about their privacy and potential threats.

The main area of concern for most smartphone owners (78 percent) was the phone getting lost or stolen and having its contents used for inappropriate purposes. Owners were also quite concerned about losing their password data, and most respondents stated that they would be willing to add security to their phone so that their banking and other sensitive information was protected.

Location tracking is another potential area for mobile security concern, and half of respondents stated that they knew how to turn off permissions for remote tracking. Almost all of those surveyed (95 percent) said that they believed that their location could be tracked by at least one entity while the phone is on.