The use of QR codes is being used more and more, and now there are also more in the retail trade who use it.
Before Christmas last year, Kondomeriet did something new, which will probably become more common in the future: QR codes to increase sales of goods.
The use of QR codes has become increasingly common, and especially during the corona pandemic where, among other things, restaurants and cafes have asked guests to register their contact information for any infection tracking. But QR codes can also be used to get people to shop for items with a few clicks
The condominium tried just that last year, when they tested the QR code on outdoor advertising posters, something Campaigns mentioned last year. Owe Stangeland, Commercial Digital Innovation Manager for Kondomeriet, tells Nettavisen that they experienced a good response to the poster campaign in 2020. But there is still a way to go.
“Unfortunately, most of us are trained that QR code leads to a website with more information, and is therefore not yet used to it being able to lead directly to purchases,” he says.
However, the campaign gave more flavor, and in November they will again try to promote the sale of this year’s Christmas calendar using a QR code. This time it will not be on posters.
– This year, this is done on a shop window in the shops, in connection with our Christmas calendar campaign this November, he says.
Stangeland says that they believe this way of conducting marketing will become more and more widespread in the near future.
– Therefore, Kondomeriet wants to continue testing the QR code on Vipps, he continues.
Even though it is now only for Christmas calendars there will be a QR code in the shop window in their stores, Kondomeriet wants in the future to have this on all products that are on display in the shop windows.
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– Improvement of the offer
Bjørn Næss, CEO of Oslo Handelstands Forening (OHF), is aware that several in the retail industry have used QR codes.
– I have great faith in it. There are quite a few of our members who use it actively today, including in shop windows, he says to Nettavisen.
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He points out, among other things, Sprell Riktige Leker in central Oslo, which has had a QR code in the shop window outside the store. He also points out that Steen & Strøm uses QR codes in their shop windows.
– The use of QR codes is not so developed in Norway yet, but I think many have opened their eyes to use it more, he says.
He believes that more will be used, due to the rapid digitalisation that is taking place in the trade.
– Most people have an online store, and then QR codes are a good way to get information about products, price and the like, says Næss, and points out:
– I think it is an improvement of the digital offer, and provides an opportunity to increase customer service, availability and the need for information consumers have, says Næss.
He also knows that QR codes are used a lot inside stores, for example to provide more information about goods.
Does not ship from stores
However, the condominium does not ship the goods from the physical stores.
– As of today, we send our goods from the online stores. In Bergen, Oslo and Sandnes, we are now testing “click and get delivered home with Wolt” with a QR code on the Christmas calendar campaign. We currently have no plans for “click and get” in our QR campaigns in the future, says Stangeland.
– How can QR codes help to not weaken physical trade in the physical stores, but rather strengthen it?
– By using QR codes for direct shopping, the customer will have a better relationship with a location, in our case our physical stores. In the case of repeated purchases, our hope is that the customer wants to continue using our local stores, he says.
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Stangeland says that the use of QR codes outside the stores means that Kondomeriet locally can give the customer an affiliation that you do not normally have to an online store.
– In the future, an expansion of the use of QR codes will also be used for discreet trade inside the stores, could help strengthen physical trade and the customer’s shopping experience, he says.
– When it comes to future use and opportunities that lie in the use of QR codes (Vipps or others), we see great opportunities, he points out.
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– An active part of the online store
During this year’s trade conference under the auspices of Virke, which was held in September, Vipps CEO Rune Garborg spoke about future trade and the use of QR codes.
Vipps is now working with many of the largest retailers in Norway on new solutions such as to take advantage of the opportunities with QR in the future.
– Trade in Norway is facing major changes as a result of increased online shopping, and QR codes build a bridge between the digital and the physical, says Vegar Heir, commercial manager at Vipps.
– QR is a fantastic way to turn passive market surfaces, such as billboards, mailbox advertisements, newsletters, shop windows and the like, into an active part of the online store. Customers get the opportunity to buy and pay for products right away. Scan the QR code, see the product and pay immediately. There and then, he says.
He points out that this gives the stores a number of new opportunities both inside and outside the store.
– Think pre-sale of a new phone model, pop-up store at book launches or sales of merchandise at concerts – or football kits, Heir points out.
– When customers can buy as soon as they see information about a product, the effect of marketing will be much stronger and more measurable, he says.
In the last year, Norwegians have become particularly well accustomed to scanning QR codes for various purposes, after restaurants began using QR codes for ordering food as a result of the pandemic. QR code is also commonly used as boarding pass on aircraft.
– Therefore, we believe QR is a much more mature technology now than just a couple of years ago. People know what to use QR for, says Heir.
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