24/4 eMarketer: Barcode Readers Embraced by Japanese Consumers
Nothing new here for us, but it makes sense to be told again. What works in Japan can work in the rest of the world. But handset manufacturers, operators, content, marketing, advertising companies and enablers have to work together to get there and to make it a worthwhile experience for the consumer.
The more fragmented the barcode space is, the more difficult it will be.
Shoppers Fuel Japanese Mobile Ads
Product research accounts for much of the industry's activity. A Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications report titled "Information and Communications in Japan 2006" found Japanese consumers check an average of four retailers each time they research a product.
That focus on product research has led to new forms of cooperation between traditional and mobile media. Japan has become a leader in developing quick response (QR) code technology for inputting product or service information into the phone.
[...] Barcode readers in mobile phones are becoming one of the most prevalent new applications embraced by consumers. An NPD Group report titled "Japan Consumer Wireless Study" found that that barcode readers had eclipsed location-based services and radio applications as the mobile features most commonly used by consumers in Japan.
Emerging Mobile Phone Features that Are Currently Used by Consumers in Japan, 2006 (% of respondents)
See also:
Keitai Ad Marketing23/4 Localization with Mobile Tags
23/4 Iqbal Quadir: The power of the mobile phone to end poverty
Readers of this blog have hopefully glimpsed from time to time how this question is important to me. Listen to
Iqbal Quadir from
GrameenPhone and
his TED talk.
One giveaway:
We should empower citizens, not authorities.
23/4 £8 for anytime mobile internet - Orange's new tariffs
Orange cuts cost of plugging into the internet on a mobile phone
Orange, which has 17 million UK customers, will unveil new tariffs that will allow mobile customers to have unlimited access to the net for a daily or monthly fee, or else pay for short “snacking” sessions. Access to basic news headlines and some search services will be free. At present, customers are charged per unit of data they use.
The move by Orange to simplify charges is part of the latest attempt by mobile operators to encourage customers to take up more lucrative data services and finally transform “3G” into a mass-market product.
Will this also happen in Switzerland?
18/4 Fast and (old sk)cool - Combining QR Code and SMS
16/4 Mobile Tickets with QR Code
15/4 NZZcampus QR Code Campaign continues...
The newspaper
Neue Zürcher Zeitung continues with their
NZZcampus campaign and the QR Code plays an important role in it. Today I found this one page ad in the sunday edition (NZZ am Sonntag). Earlier this month, they started with this
ad, which was published several times as well as a huge billboard campaign in several cities.
More pictures can be found in my
QR Code Album.
PS: If you want to read the above QR Code with your new shiny Nokia N95 which comes with a preinstalled Barcode Reader (check the office folder;), then
use the black QR Code you find in this post.
PS2: KAYWA PHOTO AND
KAYWA UPLOADER: Btw. the Kaywa Uploader works currently only for Java, mostly for Sony Ericsson phones and some Nokia Java Phones like the 6280.
PS3: KAYWA READER: Download the
Kaywa Reader (for available phones, see
http://reader.kaywa.com/phones).
10/4 Opera joining the QR bandwagon?
QR Codes by Vetle Roeim
During easter I hacked together a web interface for encoding/decoding these codes using open source utilities, check it out. It works in Opera Mini of course, although the decoder is a little sensitive, so your mileage will vary depending on the quality of the images and the angle and distance you're at when you take the picture.
It usually works with my Sony Ericsson K800i, but sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right.
By the way: Download Operamini via QR Code
06/4 Mobile 2.0 = ケータイ2.0 ?
