On December 7, Google announced its intention to distribute window decals containing bar codes to over 100,000 small businesses. The bar codes will allow Smartphone users to connect to business Place Pages on Google, where consumers can obtain a wide range of information such as hours of operation, customer reviews and coupons. If the business has effectively managed its Google Place Page, it should ultimately be able to persuade the customer to enter the business and conduct a transaction.
Google QR Codes
These bar codes, known as QR codes, are relatively new to U.S. consumers but are already popular in countries like Japan. According to a study by goo Research, over 34 percent of mobile users in Japan have used a QR-code-reader application. So just how are advertisers using QR codes?
McDonald’s began placing QR codes on the side of burger boxes; with a quick scan, a customer is brought to a section of McDonald’s website that displays nutrition information for the product the customer is consuming. Umbro placed QR codes on the inside of soccer shirts, taking customers to a secret mobile website.
What’s interesting, though, in order to receive a QR code, a business must be registered with Google’s Local Business Center and be designated as a Google Favorite Place. This suggests an attempt by Google to establish some serious market share in the rapidly growing mobile marketing industry. As the mobile market place continues to develop, it will be interesting to see if Google will be able to establish the same dominance it has in the search engine market.
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