[Columnist] Trevor Bingham, Business Development Manager at IT specialists FUEL
Are Barcode
Scanner Apps the
High Street’s Secret
Weapon?
Major retailers on the web now have “m-commerce” sites to cope with the
growing trend of shopping on the internet via tablets or smartphones.
Trevor Bingham looks at what’s next for our tablets and smartphones.
M
obile commerce (m-commerce),
are said to be one of the mobile trends to
consumers born after 1980, are using
with proportionally designed
watch in 2015.
smartphones and tablets more than ever to
sites, developed for our tablets
Scandit, leaders in the barcode scanning
make purchasing decisions, both online and
and smartphones, is growing like a weed.
app industry, have revealed that a total of
offline.
By the end of 2015, the percentage of
4.5 million of their barcodes were scanned
Shoppers do generally use their mobile
sales transactions carried out purely on
during the last Black Friday in America. This
devices to research products before making
our mobile devices is expected to reach
impressive figure suggests that the predictions
a purchase these days, meaning that an
40 per cent. Japan and South
easy-to-use app builds customer
Korea, no strangers to leading
relationships, with consumers
the way in electronic device
returning to an app (or even
“A beautifully designed
usage, have already tipped over
the store) if the app provides
native app can not only be a
the 50 per cent mark on the
an excellent user-experience.
consumer’s first choice for
‘eCommercetransactions’ scales in
The appearance of an app or
favour of m-commerce.
website obviously impacts on how
browsing, but also result in
Now that we carry these
consumers conceive a brand,
a purchase via a mobile or a
mobile devices around in pockets
as well as how safe it is to make
tablet.”
and handbags, be they tablet
purchases. Therefore a beautifully
or smartphone, the high street
designed native app can not only
retailers are out to take advantage
be a consumer’s first choice for
of this, rather than engage in a battle that
for native apps may prove to be correct.
browsing, but also result in a purchase via a
they couldn’t win. The trick behind any
Retailers have caught on that native apps are
mobile or a tablet.
good e-commerce or m-commerce site
an excellent way to acquire “an edge” over
The ability to scan barcodes with mobile
is to remove the barriers to the customer
their rivals, meaning that scanning barcodes in
devices to instantly compare prices are now
purchasing journey. In other words, make
stores may end up becoming the norm.
used by many retailers, which can be used as
it as easy as possible for the customer
Mobile applications with in-app barcode
a quick way to see how much competitors
to complete their purchase, in the least
scanning empower consumers in entirely
are selling products for. Businesses don’t
amount of time. To achieve this, the high
new ways, enabling them to avoid long
want to be creating the ultimate mobile
street retailers have been looking at ways
checkout lines through smartphone-based
shopping experience only to lose out on
to streamline their own buying process.
self-checkout. They also capture and save
a sale due to the product being cheaper
One key avenue of development, is having
product information, compare prices in
elsewhere. However, it is native apps that
barcode scanner apps downloaded onto
real-time, submit or view user reviews, build
will ultimately keep customers engaged and
smartphones and tablets.
and share lists, find items while in-store, and
drive sales, especially if there is a reward
These apps, known as native apps because
more.
scheme in place.
they are specific to each shopping chain, are
The increase in mobile barcode scanning
Barcode-scanning apps are currently doing
set to be a ‘major player’ in the continued
during the shopping experience points to
wonders for the numbers of people making
success of m-commerce during this year and
a broader trend: consumers, especially
purchases via their mobiles.
68 NI Chamber