Mobile Marketers, Here’s what to watch for in 2013

Businesses in a variety of industries are focusing more of their efforts towards mobile marketing.  And they should be. Currently smartphone sales are more than PC and desktop sales combined. The way people are accessing the internet has changed and people are accessing the internet from everywhere. So how do you target these fast paced customers that are always on the run? With branded QR Codes!

QR codes provide the ‘on the run’ customer a way to interact and access more information without actually having to be in the store or sitting at a computer. As a business owner your time is valuable, you should be allocating some of this time towards QR codes and mobile marketing. Here’s why:

• As of June 2012 54% of mobile subscribers in the U.S. own a smartphone
• From June 2011-June 2012 QR code scans from customers increased by 400%
• Mobile Web Traffic has increased by approximately 69% from 2010 to 2012
• According to ScanLife’s trends, in 2014 the number of people accessing the internet via mobile will surpass the number of people accessing via PC and desktop
• 45% of avid mobile users have shared products and services with friends from mobile ads
• The average American spends almost 3 hours a day on their phone

The statistics don’t lie. Mobile usage is on the rise and has been for a while. QR codes provide the perfect solution to link print media to online media. 2013 will be all about QR codes so build your online web presence today and get a step ahead of your competitors. Start creating your own personalized QR codes with QR Artist today!

Sources:

-http://www.scanlife.com/en/

-http://www.pbsmartessentials.com/

-http://iflymobi.com/2012/11/29/2703/

Develop your Business with Artistic QR Codes

As a small business owner in today’s overly competitive markets it’s frustrating trying to grow your business and attracting new customers.  A successful business incorporates a well-rounded mix of traditional and online marketing. However with a technologically minded society and the increasing popularity of Smartphones, mobile marketing has become a much more crucial step towards growing ones business. One aspect of mobile marketing that should not be over looked is the use of QR codes.

QR codes or quick response codes are 2D bar codes that are scanned by a smartphone’s scanning app. Originally introduced in Japan for use in the automobile industry. QR codes have been widely adapted by marketers for marketing campaigns providing customers with a direct form of interaction.  They can access and store information to redirect users to websites, contact information, product information, and even the company’s online store. 

When attracting customers, it’s not only the message and information that you provide, but it’s also the way you provide it. What if a customer doesn’t have the time to meet with you during operational hours? Wants to access more information without the typical in store sales pitch? Or notices your company for the first time after hours and wants to learn more?  How can you convert all of these potential customers to paying customers without them being snatched up by the competition first?

Well for starters, arguably today's typical consumers are impulse buyers. If they see something they like they buy it then and there. With QR codes you are providing these customers access to 24/7 shopping.  Try putting a QR code on the outside of your store after hours that links to your online store. Customers could be walking after hours and see products in the window display and want to buy. Now you have provided them with that option.  QR codes are also a great way to provide customers with more information, especially if they are on the go. Consider a customer walking past your store on the way to work, school, or a special event and doesn’t have much time to stop and seek out more information. With a QR code, the customer is able to scan for more information including buying options and that same customer is able to make a purchase or access more information while sitting on transit on the way to their event.

These are just some of the reasons that QR codes are increasingly becoming one of the hottest new mobile marketing strategies. QR codes provide the end user with a direct sense of action to access more information increasing engagement with customers.

At QR Artist, you can create customized QR codes with logos, texts, colours, and effects that reflect your brand. These QR codes can be made in under a minute and customized to your specific marketing campaigns. Explore the endless possibilities and energize your next marketing campaign with QR Artist!

QR Code Trends and Demographics

Want to use QR codes in your marketing campaigns? Here are some QR code trends that can help you reach your target audience. You may have been recently introduced to QR codes and are wondering what the trends and popularity are before you start using them for your next campaign. Well the first thing that comes to mind about current QR code trends is that they have sky rocketed in the past year. One of the main factors has been the increasing popularity with Smartphones. Now-a-days it almost seems that everybody has a Smartphone in their back pocket with scanning capabilities. Currently in 2012 Smartphone sales are now more than PC and Laptops sales combined. This means that the amount of people accessing the Internet by their mobile devices has increased dramatically.

Here is a quick sum up of some facts and stats that demonstrate the rise in QR code popularity:

In the second quarter of 2012, the ScanLife App alone saw over 16 million scans seeing an increase of over 165% from the second quarter in 2011. In the single month of June 2012 alone there were 5.3 million scans.  In 2012 there have been 120 scans per minute which is five times greater than 2011. Source

It is also worthy to note that the majority of people who are scanning QR codes are young and male. According to marketing charts, male and females report equal awareness of QR codes. However, men who are aware of them are 73% more likely than women to have used one to access product information. Source

Most popular QR code Demographics according to ScanLife’s Trend Report (April 2012): 

Most Popular age for Scanning QR code is 25-34

Most Popular Income Range is less than $50,000

Most Popular with Males

(Images/charts from Scan Life)

According to Scan Life’s most recent report – 6 million of ScanLife's scans a month are due to someone seeing something they like and wanting more product information. Thus with the holiday season coming up just around the corner QR codes are a great opportunity to improve your holiday marketing campaigns. The Holidays are approaching quickly so get started with your QR code campaigns today!

QR Codes for the Holidays

It’s that time of year Again – The Holidays!

For retail owners this is the most crucial time of the year.

You want to attract your customer’s attention and let them know which of your products are the hottest this holiday season.

But with all the competition out there how do you stand out? We have a great solution for you to reduce your worrying and stress these holidays. Why not use artistic QR codes to attract your customer’s attention.

Using a free app on a smart phone, a QR code is scanned with a smart phone’s camera directing the customers to mobile devices (online store) where you can offer coupons and provide the option to buy products online.

Happy Holidays from Muprime!

With the use of QR codes customers are able buy out of stock items while they’re in your store with a simple scan of a QR code. The product will be shipped directly to their house eliminating other online competitors. 

What do customers enjoy the most about shopping? Saving money with sales, deals, and special offers would arguably be at the top of this list. This holiday season is a great time to start using artistic QR codes in your marketing campaign.  Try incorporating a Christmas theme to your marketing campaign this year. For example, a '12 days of Christmas' themed marketing campaign offering a special coupon each day and special offers. Another idea would be to do a Christmas countdown similar to a chocolate advent calendar. QR codes have the capability of being changed so the landing page that they are directed to can be edited as needed. Therefore putting QR codes on marketing materials can remain the same throughout the holidays while the coupons and deals may be changed.

The goal of this marketing campaign is to drive traffic to your business. Having a different deal or coupon each day increases customer’s anticipation and excitement throughout the holiday season. Remember Black Friday is this week and to some holiday shoppers it is the unofficial start of the shopping season! To get started with artistic QR codes contact us today for more information or start creating your own artistic QR codes at qrartist.net. If you have an example or a success story about using QR codes for a holiday marketing campaign please leave a comment below we would love to hear it!

 

A Day in the Life of a Developer at Muprime

Hello, my name is Lauren and part of my job at Muprime is to create custom mobile pages for clients. When QR codes are scanned, most clients want it to lead to a web-page containing their contact information, a contest, or perhaps information about their company. Here are some examples of mobile pages that I've made:

1. Contact Information

This type of mobile page is handy for business cards or on pamphlets. I can add pretty much any type of information - name, company, cell phone, etc. Also, there is an option to download a vCard (an electronic business card that can be added to your smart phone's contact list).

2. Contest Page

This type of mobile page is commonly used for exhibitions, conferences, or other such events. People can enter their e-mail and then be entered into a draw.

3. Company Information

Similar to contact information, a company information page can be created for a detailed description of your company. We can also add options to share this page, register for newsletters, or connect with social media. Here is an example with Shape Properties:

Since these websites are all custom-made, the sky's the limit for the type of content you want to display or collect from the people who have scanned your QR code. Contact us at Muprime for more information! If you have any questions please leave a comment below :)

Featured Employee of the Week

Get to meet the Muprime team! Once a week we will be featuring a Muprime employee for you to get to know more about us and what we do on a daily basis. Today our featured employee is Yeaji Moon. Yeaji is the one and only designer at Muprime Technology and has many different responsibilities. She keeps our team moving smoothly with her constant hard work and improves office morale with sketches of comical cartoons in the office during her free time. Being the only designer at Muprime, Yeaji has many challenging responsibilities that she seems to overcome day in and day out. Yeaji is in charge of any design related tasks including web design, prints, and illustrations. In addition to being in charge of design, she is also responsible for front end developing. For web design, she designs the overall look of the website by combining her design skills with her knowledge of HTML/CSS. Yeaji designs posters, business cards, brochures, and more for print and marketing materials. Furthermore, Yeaji designs images for weekly newsletters. These images range from comical cartoons to serious sketches to help explain certain articles and make the overall look of the newsletter artistic and engaging. Yeaji is currently doing her first co-op work term with Muprime Technology and is a student at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.