What “Semacode” idea holds for the future marketers

Time and again, some of my friends have asked me to write something in the retail space. Now I have been holding myself back personally for one reason i.e. for such a huge industry boom, I got to write something which is different because a lot have been written on this topic.

Now I have found something very interesting yet its promise of reaching those consumers is simply great. It’s called “Semacode”. It has led to the interaction of outdoor ads with the real consumers. Actually, Gizmodo in its recent article about how H&M is using semacodes imprinted onto Billboard ads for clothes to allow consumers to purchase directly by just clicking a picture with their camera mobile phone holds a lot of promise.

Now, how it works you may ask? Black-and-white patterned boxes called Semacode bars will be placed on advertisements which carry coded information that will bring the shopper to the retailer's product catalog. You'll then be able to buy the clothes using your cellphone account or the amount will be added to your cell phone account (in some cases the amount may put a hole in your pocket if your spouse or girlfriend is spendthrift) .

Now that is the technology part which I guess, many of us including me didn’t get much actually (like what coded info are they talking about). Still from an inquisitive marketer’s point of view I see huge upsurge for the retail fanatics for a lot of reasons.

1. By connecting users from physical media to mobile content, the system creates new affordances, new ways to interact with the objects and media that surround us (including augmented reality, remote presence, social software and location tagging).

2. It is not only in retail but its reach can be far flung like tourism, games, etc. It can be used as an opportunity to improve the way people interact and communicate.

So above all, semacodes can actually provide maximum mobility and convenience for the customer who is on a go. Since nowadays we get less & less time happy shopping (though not taking the feminine side of the story who somehow gets enough time for shopping- actually I am in a process to understand how they do it), so the idea of semacode holds a great promise in the near future.