Window Shopping Goes High-Tech

Digital services agency United Future has developed a system that turns a retailer’s storefront into an interactive, touchscreen shopping experience. The company believes the technology will attract more customers, particularly tech-savvy ones such as college students, and increase sales.

The system uses a touch-sensitive film attached to the storefront glass, along with a projector and laptop. The touchscreen display can be customized for each retailer, who can change information displayed on an hourly basis if they choose.

The shopper uses the window touchscreen to drag and drop apparel items onto mannequins sized to fit their personal measurements. Customers can then complete a purchase through QR codes linked to secure store web sites. United Future is trying to enhance the system to enable payments using a smartphone by tapping on the glass.

“Our product extends the shelf by helping educate the consumer and bringing the retail floor to life,” Scott Holmes, president of United Futures, said in an article for a National Retail Federation publication. “That, to me, is the future of where retail is headed: toward more experiential shopping. We must connect across all retail channels to succeed in the future.”

QR Codes May Be Fun, But Also Risky

Quick response codes are becoming part of campus life as more students arrive with a mobile device in their pockets. QR codes are fun for students and easy to use for college stores trying to find ways to get information out on products or special events.

The problem is the codes can also be a glaring security weakness.

“A single poisoned link is all it takes to expose an entire organization to a full-scale attack,” said David Maman, chief technology officer and founder of GreenSQL, in an article in Campus Technology.

Users are unable to turn off the browser in a mobile device, making it exposed to malware even when it’s not in use, according to Maman. In addition, malware known as a rootkit circumvents the built-in defenses of the mobile operating system.

“[Responding to a QR code] is akin to responding to electronic solicitations and would have the same risks as responding to an unknown advertising source,” said Scott Gordon, vice president, worldwide marketing, for ForeScout Technologies. “There is a potential to go to a site or invoke a request for an application that appears to be reputable but is not.”

Gordon recommends educating users about the risks, particularly as they apply to mobile devices, and encouraging campus users to report possible threats. He also suggests requiring the use of antivirus software across the campus, instituting network controls to monitor all access, and installing management software to provide data-level protection for faculty devices, along with creating a policy of do’s and don’ts for students to follow with their personal devices.

The Coolest QR Codes

CNN Money has an interesting story this week on companies that have taken QR codes beyond black and white to full color and beyond.  The story provides a collection of 23 QR codes that reflect brand as much as provide a link to relevant content.  As QR codes gain traction faster than the latest smartphone, perhaps it is time for more retailers and organizations to "think outside the QR-code box" and design codes that extend product brand or image. 

Among some of the companies using creative QR codes in the CNN story:  Gillette, Red Cross, Ralph Lauren, Macy's, True Blood (HBO), Time, and the Salvation Army.  The gallery is also worth looking at to see how some of these organizations use QR codes (i.e., what they direct the user to as a destination).

The CITE goes Mobile

You can now view The CITE even when you are not at your office.  Use the QR Code below with your mobile device to connect to The CITE's mobile page.  In the year ahead we will be talking more about mobile as a significant emerging trend for retail and course materials.  Thus, it seemed appropriate to make our site more mobile as well. 

Everything Marketers Should Know About QR Codes

QR codes are all the rage in marketing these days. The two-dimensional bar codes store tons of marketing information, can be printed on nearly any kind of surface (think cake frosting and temporary tattoos), and, best of all, the tools needed to create and read them are free.

This article from SearchEngineWatch.com lists 14 tools, tactics, and best practices marketers should know about QR codes to get started. The article has plenty of basic information about QR codes, along with links to the free code generators and readers.

Along with the helpful tools and information, the author provides a QR codes checklist and worksheet to help plan a QR marketing campaign.