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Big in Japan's "Scan with ShopSavvy" Program Raises QR Code Awareness with Help from Ford, Gold's Gym and Other Brands

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/10/prweb4662144.htm

More brands are seeing the value in QR Codes for educating and marketing to consumers, says Alexander Muse, Big in Japan co-founder.
ShareThis Email PDF Print Major consumer brands are using Big in Japan's "Scan with ShopSavvy" program to increase awareness and trial of QR Codes in their marketing and promotional efforts.
Brands like Heineken, Jones New York, and Verizon are also using QR Codes effectively. The recent Warner Brothers film ‘Inception’ was also promoted with QR Codes, and more than 50,000 ShopSavvy users participated in that promotion. Dallas, TX (Vocus) October 19, 2010

Big in Japan, the leader in barcode-powered shopping by mobile consumers, announced that a variety of diverse brands -- including Ford, Gold’s Gym and the Washington Metro -- are using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program to increase awareness and trial of QR Codes to better inform consumers about their products and services.

“Compared to UPC and EAN barcodes, QR Codes can provide consumers with far more product information – offering significant opportunities for marketers as an increasing number of consumers shop with scanners in hand,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “The stumbling block has been a lack of awareness of QR Codes; most consumers aren’t sure what to do when they see one.”

Through the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, brands overlay a badge on their QR Codes to alert ShopSavvy’s installed base of more than 6.5 million users that they will find helpful product information by scanning the code.

Gold’s Gym, for example, is currently using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program in signage, product inserts and other materials associated with its fitness equipment, which is available at Walmart. By scanning a QR code, users can view product demos of treadmills, elliptical trainers and more on their smartphones.

Beyond the specific successes of the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, Muse said he is seeing a greater interest in QR Codes by both brands and ShopSavvy users.

“Every day, ShopSavvy users are scanning QR Codes at Best Buy, Gap, Dick’s Sporting Goods and other retailers,” Muse said. “Brands like Heineken, Jones New York, and Verizon are also using QR Codes effectively. The recent Warner Brothers film ‘Inception’ was also promoted with QR Codes, and more than 50,000 ShopSavvy users participated in that promotion.”

“Scan with ShopSavvy” is only one of the ways Big in Japan has demonstrated its commitment to QR Codes. Last month, the company released a free, single-purpose QR Code Reader and Scanner for iPhone. It is already one of the 50 most-downloaded utilities in Apple’s iTunes Store.

Businesses that are interested in participating in the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program may visit http://bit.ly/scan-with-shopsavvy or email sales(at)biggu(dot)com.

Consumers may download Big in Japan’s QR Code Reader and Scanner at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/QR-Code-Scanner.

About Big in Japan
Big in Japan Inc. is the leader in barcode-powered shopping by mobile consumers, with more than 6.5 million users generating 50 million product scans per month through the company’s ShopSavvy® application and the applications of third-party licensees such as CNET and PriceGrabber. Big in Japan’s AdOns® UPC/GPS mobile advertising framework reaches consumers at the point of highest purchase intent, sharing promotions, coupons and other relevant information about scanned products. Big in Japan maintains one of the largest price comparison engines for local and online retailers, with links to the pricing and inventory systems of 20,000+ retailers worldwide. Big in Japan is funded and incubated by Architel, a Dallas-based managed services provider. For more information, visit http://www.biggu.com.

Contact: Scott Baradell
[phone]
sbaradell(at)ideagrove(dot)com