Survey: Mobile bar code scanning lifts consumer holiday shopping experience

A recent poll distributed by Scanbuy on Twitter and Facebook shows how consumers are using mobile bar codes while shopping over the holidays. It revealed that there is significant interest in using mobile bar codes while shopping.

More than half of those surveyed scanned a bar code, with 57 percent scanning at least once, 40 percent of those consumers scanning a mobile bar code five or more times, with an additional 40 percent stating they've never scanned a bar code before, but would like to.

Other key findings include:
• An overwhelming 97 percent of consumers found mobile bar codes useful in some capacity, with only 3 percent finding them "not very useful."
• Price comparison was the most popular feature for consumers while shopping, with user reviews and specific product offers also getting strong interest.
• More than half of consumers said they'd most likely scan a bar code to look up prices online, but some also like getting information without finding a sales clerk.
• More than 60 percent stated they are most likely to scan bar codes (UPC and QR) from product packaging.
• The iPhone was the device most used by respondents, with 34 percent of those surveyed saying that was the device they used. BlackBerry and Android were right behind at 29 percent and 27 percent each, respectively.

According to Mike Wehrs, CEO and president of Scanbuy, "The fact that 40 percent of those surveyed scanned a bar code five or more times, with an additional 40 percent interested in scanning in the future, shows the immediate interest and long-term potential that mobile bar codes have in the field of retail. They can be utilized by consumers and retailers both to make for a truly valuable shopping experience. These results also show that there is a variety of useful content we can provide that will help educate a shopper and assist in closing a sale wherever the shopper may be."

In line with the previous statistics released by Scanbuy since Black Friday, consumer use of mobile bar codes on the ScanLife platform has remained on average at 50 percent more than the pre-holiday run rate. With most consumers surveyed stating interest in trying mobile bar codes and finding the technology useful, consumer usage of mobile bar codes will likely continue to grow even after the holidays as mobile users become accustomed to the convenient and easy access to information that the technology provides.

Source: Scanbuy