The Europeans and Asians have known for years that mobile phones are the key to information at your fingertips. With the advent of the iPhone, the United States began the slow move toward taking web content and putting it in the hands of mobile users. Yet, our country has not yet realized the revolution of mobile content currently experienced overseas. But we will, and soon.
Enter the QR code, a two-dimensional black and white code that can be read by most cell phones with a free software app. This code can store a multitude of information, such as a web site address, contact information, e-mail address, SMS text message address, phone number and even satellite coordinates for maps. This tiny code can be placed on traditional printed items such as price tags, flyers, newspaper or magazine ads, menus and signs to bridge the gap between printed media and dynamic mobile content. This process of generating a QR code for placement is sometimes called mobile tagging.
Imagine the possibilities of this new, seamless and easily accessible on-line workd. For example, a homebuilder could place a QR code on each sign that resides outside a home. Prospective customers who are driving by can scan the mobile tag and in real time access a mobile-friendly web site containing specific information about the home they are interested in. Such information could include photos, room dimensions, floorplans... just about anything that can reside on a typical web site. The compact QR code not only saves space when compared to the lengthy URL that most likely would have to be included on the signage, but also saves typing and possible keystroke errors for the user.
Another example could have a golf store including a mobile tag on the back of each price tag. Customers could scan the mobile tag for any product they are interested in and retrieve mobile-friendly content containing technical specifications, variations, quantity in stock, etc.
Or, even more simply, a salesperson can hand a business card containing their typical printed contact information along with a mobile tag to a prospect. The prospect could simply scan the QR code with their phone and instantly import all the contact information directly into their mobile phone book, which later could be synced with their Outlook address book.
And, finally, in the world of instant communication.... Real estate agents could provide a mobile tag on flyers maintained outside a home for sale. This tag could contain a phone numer or a text message link whereby the customer could call or text directly from the QR code.
So, what does it take to implement mobile tagging? Surprisingly, not that much. The key is to create specific, mobile friendly content. Some smartphones -- such as the iPhone and Palm Pre -- can retrieve typical web sites normally designed for standalone computers or laptops and display them properly. These devices allow the user to zoom in or out on the screen. However, many phones (and even these smartphones) would benefit from content specially designed to fit into their smaller screen real estate.
With many dynamically generated sites, content can be rendered in a multiple of designs or skins. Mobile friendly web sites can be created with more simple and compact designs, yet with access to the specific content from the standard web site.
Statically generated web sites offer a more labor intensive problem to rendering mobile friendly content. Essentially, a complete second web site would have to be created in order to provide the content in a mobile friendly environment. Having two separate web sites not only becomes more expensive to develop, but also more time consuming to maintain as changes or additions need to be handled on two web sites separately.
Below is an example of a real estate agent's web site showing the details of a specific home for sale (shown at 1/2 its normal size):
As you can see, this site is designed for the larger screens on laptops and desktop computers and would be difficult to read on mobile devices. By placing a small QR code, such as this one:
users can scan this code and be taken to the same information, only presented in a mobile friendly environment:
For more information on how this technology can help your business, contact us today.