Capilano Mall is using QR codes to let shoppers participate in the mall's "Be Our Energy Star" contest. 
The goal of the contest is to drive traffic to the mall?s new microsite at http://capilano-living-green.com.

The new program focuses on relaying the mall?s efforts towards making improvements in the areas of global and social responsibility.

?Using a QR code as part of a marketing campaign was something that Capilano Mall had been exploring for some time,? said Shera Allibhai, marketing director of Capilano Mall, North Vancouver, BC.

?As marketing professionals, we liked the idea of having a tool that could provide a call to action that motivated an immediate response from the customer,? she said.

Capilano Mall is a shopping center in the city of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of two major shopping centers in the city.

How it works
Contestants are being asked to write down in 100 words or fewer what they are doing to be more environmentally or socially conscious for a chance to win an Energy Star Certified LCD TV and laptop valued at more than $3,500.

QR code for "Be Our Energy Star" contest

The contest objectives are to increase site visits to http://capilano-living-green.com/, grow the mall?s eClub database and to get at least10 percent of all site visits via the QR codes.

The codes are printed on all of the showcards, food court table toppers and door decals throughout the mall.

When consumers scan the code they are brought to the campaign?s landing page where they can learn more about the social and global responsibilities that Capilano has taken on.  

The shopping center aims to reduce the amount of waste the mall generates via the campaign.

Traditionally, when customers enter a contest held in the mall they submit their entry on a paper ballot.

An educational component was created called "How to use a QR code," which also featured the code created specifically for this campaign as well as a list of instructions informing customers how to download the bar code scanning app and how to use it. 

Customers can scan the code with their mobile device and they will be linked directly to the contest entry form.

The goal
Bar code scanning traffic increased more than 800 percent year over year, proving that consumers are willing to participate in promotions that are based on this technology, per Scanbuy.

IPhone and Android users are the top scanners, the same report found.

In a society with an ever-growing responsibility towards decreasing its environmental footprint, the use of this increasingly popular paperless technology makes sense.

Educating consumers on how to use paperless technology is also a top priority.

Capilano Mall has a goal to decrease paper ballots by 75 percent over the next two years. This will eliminate in excess of 9,000 sheets of paper per year.

?We are excited to see what the results will be to really understand how familiar our customer base actually is with this technology,? Ms. Allibhai said.

?We believe that as QR codes become more mainstream in Canada, and as the customer becomes more familiar with them, QR Codes will provide a great new marketing tool for call to action promotions, awareness campaigns and future contests,? she said.

Final Take
Mackenzie Allison is associate reporter at Mobile Marketer