ClikGenie

Best Buy’s QR Success Story

ghoffman — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:03:16 +0000

Approximately one year after implementing its QR program, Best Buy talks about its success. By the end of 2011 they were averaging 78,000 scans per week which in turn created 6,000 unique opportunities per store to connect with a customer. That is a very successful engagement rate in anybody’s assessment.

For those retailers contemplating a custom mobile app for their stores, another interesting fact is that Best Buy found that in the Labor Day week alone they had 33,000 downloads of their custom app resulting from customers shooting their QR codes.

This would indicate that mobile codes if properly used could be a highly effective tool for introducing customers to your custom app and thereby creating even closer relationships with them.

MS Tag – NFC Capabilities

ghoffman — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:34:59 +0000

We tried out the new Android version (5.5.2) of MS Tag’s new multifunctional reader. It worked very well for scanning MS Tag, QR as well as NFC chips. Response times and first read rates were very good!

MS Tag’s new additional functionality will likely accelerate its broad based adoption by mobile users which in turn should generate a lot of developer interest.

ClikGenie, expanded its offering to include MS Tag several months ago so that apparel retailers and brands wishing to use MS Tag could easily do so.

We now offer any retailer who has opted to use MS Tag for in-store product marking a solution for deploying it across their entire supply chain of hundreds or even thousands of vendors. It takes the burden of deploying a product “tagging” solution off the retailer’s shoulders. Imagine what a company the size of Lowe’s has to do to rollout a product tagging and mobile content system across their entire vendor network and still provide the shopper with a consistent look and feel!

We work with retailers to design the mobile templates for various product categories and then work directly with the vendors to collect the specific content, populate those templates and generate the code image so that vendors can properly “tag” their products at point of manufacture. What could be simpler?

For those retailers opting to use MS Tag and who want to have additional functionality not achievable with mobile web apps, we will also be offering customized apps incorporating around the MS Tag reader.

Scanning Trend to Use Both 2D Codes and NFC

ghoffman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:42:24 +0000

ClikGenie announced several weeks ago that it had released the first version of an NFC reader for the Android which opened the door for companies to use either 2D codes or NFC technolgy to access the same product content.

Just this week Microsoft announced it own version of an app which will read both QR and NFC. The only unknown at this point is what phone it will work on given the limited number of phones in the market place that have NFC capability.

In any case it is assuring to know that MS Tag is headed down the same road we are.

Read more about MS Tag and NFC http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/52odbK/tag.microsoft.com/community/blog/t/microsoft_tag_announces_one-stop-shop_for_marketers_tag_qr_and_nfc.aspx

ClikGenie Launches First NFC Product Authentication Mobile App.

ghoffman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:53:44 +0000

ClikGenie has developed the first NFC mobile product authentication app for the apparel industry. The app is written on the Android Gingerbread OS and works on the new Samsung Nexus S phone.

The solution employs the latest NXP chip technology and integrates directly with ClikGenie’s mobile services platform providing brands with the ability to have product authentication solutions customized to their specific needs.

NFC technology in combination with smart phone technology offers a new paradigm for brand protection.

CTIA Brief reports smartphones penetration in US reaches 43%

ghoffman — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:46:40 +0000

CTIA Brief cites new Nielsen study which found that consumer adoption of smartphones in the U.S. inched up to 43% in the third quarter, compared with 40% penetration in the previous quarter.

Read more at: http://moconews.net/article/419-nielsen-android-grew-its-smartphone-marketshare-iphone-stayed-flat/

Article in Triad Business Journal

ghoffman — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:04:35 +0000

ClikGenie was featured in the latest edition of the Triad Business Journal, Oct. 15-20, 2011. The article focuses on the rise of QR code usage among retailers and offers some very good tips on starting a QR program.

You can request a copy by emailing info@clikgenie.com.

HSN Evaluating QR Codes

ghoffman — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:06:19 +0000

The Home Shopping Network began a four day experiment using QR codes as part of its technology-themed weekend. If it works on TV you have to believe it will be a big success in the store. We will be tracking their success closely.

The Looming QR Battle Between the Retailer and Brand

ghoffman — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:17:11 +0000

Major brands are ahead of the curve when it comes to QR usage. It could be because it is easier to implement a QR program across a limited number of products but more likely it is because they see their first real opportunity of communicating directly with their wholesale customers’ in-store shopper. Most apparel retailers today do not understand what QR programs are nor how they can be used to engage the shopper; but the brands certainly do.

Once retailers understand what QR codes are all about it is likely they will begin to push back on the brands and begin setting standards for QR usage within their stores. This means that retailers will be determining what QR code platform will be used and what content will be shown to their in-store customers. We believe the more successful QR programs will be constructed in a manner where both the retailer and the brand coordinate their efforts.

The ClikGenie QR platform allows just that. Retailers and brands can jointly determine what code platform works best for them, what content should be provided and by whom; and then most importantly what level of engagement each party may have with the in-store shopper.

Columbia Sportswear Company is High on QR Codes

ghoffman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:28:23 +0000

Mick McCormick, EVP of Global Sales & Marketing for Columbia Sportswear Company was one of the featured speakers this week at the Shop.org 2011 Summit. McCormick explained how QR codes can be used effectively to influence the in-store shopper by providing highly relevant information such as videos. He goes on to say that, based upon the uplift of sales they have seen of tagged items, Columbia plans on expanding the use of QR codes across their product lines.

The Allure of QR Codes to Brands

ghoffman — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:07:25 +0000

The number one attraction for QR codes to brands is the ability to communicate directly to the end user. Other messaging media such TV, Print, and In-Store signage are one way communication tools. So the brand never really knows if the consumer actually gets the message and if they do, what they think of it.

QR is the means to open that two way door of communications, not only enabling the brand to communicate directly with the shopper but more importantly enabling the shopper to communicate with the brand.