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Imagine being able to interact with your customers at the exact moment they see your product on the shelf, view your ad or read an article about your product. Imagine engaging with your customers the moment they shop for your product – or better yet, the moment in which they even consider purchasing your product.

2D codes are making this possible. The “next big thing in shopper marketing” makes it easy for marketers and suppliers to identify shoppers and offer information and incentives that will encourage future loyalty. These two-dimensional bar codes may be scanned with camera-ready smartphones, taking users directly to a screen that provides additional product information or special offers.

2D Barcode

The codes may be printed on packaging, displays, in magazines or on receipts. When scanned with the built-in camera, a user’s smartphone reads the code and takes the user to a screen that can offer anything from coupons to how-to videos to price listings.

Microsoft’s Tag program subscribes to this model of direct interaction by creating “visual links to content which can be ‘opened’” from print media.

As social media and marketing continue to work hand-in-hand, advancements such as 2D codes will only become stronger and more prevalent. The latest in highly targeted messaging is getting to the root of consumer interest and need. Consumers want more interaction with the brands they love, and companies need to respond to their desires.

A major benefit of the 2D codes?

• They allow for two-way communication between the customer and the brand. Companies learn where customers are shopping, what they’re looking for and how to capture their attention, and customers have the chance to provide feedback by commenting, clicking through and by simply showing interest.
• The information users receive is incredibly flexible. Marketers have the ability to change coupon offers or notify the user of new information as soon as it’s available.

The problem marketers have to solve right now is getting the word out about 2D codes. Consumer awareness is relatively low, even as codes are starting to appear in magazines and on store shelves. And even though smartphones are as widespread as ever, not all customers own one. They need to be reached in other ways.

Smart marketers will look into 2D codes as they appear more in our day-to-day living. In Amsterdam, for example, train stops have 2D codes posted to signs, providing train schedules and entertainment for those who scan with their phones.

I see this new way of marketing to and interacting with the customer taking off in a big way. Through what other mediums will we see these scannable codes?

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