Mobile bar code scanning increased by 600 percent in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the second quarter of 2010, according to Scanbuy.

The report collected data from April 1 to June 30. According to Scanbuy, its Scanlife applications processed an average of one scan per second.

?The volume of traffic now coming through our system shows the adoption of mobile bar codes with both consumers and companies using them,? said David Javitch, vice president of marketing at Scanbuy, New York.

?We?ve seen an increase in the amount of mobile bar codes available, which leads to more scans,? he said.

QR versus UPC
Scanbuy works with both 2D bar codes and UPC codes, and the study found significant differences between the scanning habits of 2D bar codes and UPC codes.

The report found that 2D bar code scans are higher than scans via 1D bar codes, signaling a shift from 2010.

Additionally, the study highlighted  that consumers are engaging more with marketers and mobile campaigns.

More than 45,000 QR codes were generated from the ScanLife platform in the second quarter, resulting in a 300 percent increase from  2010.

?The rate of 2D bar code scanning is increasing at a rapid pace, but the rate of UPC has remained constant,? Mr. Javitch said.

According to Mr. Javitch QR codes generate more traffic during the holidays when consumers are comparison shopping.

However, UPC code scans saw 400,000 unique products scanned in a single month, showing the diversity of the mobile bar codes.

?It will be interesting to see if UPC scan traffic increases in the second half of the year when shopping becomes more of a focus,? Mr. Javitch said.

?The report is proof that users are scanning a huge variety of products and leaving a unique trail of scans,? he said.

Mobile direction
Retail, wireless industries and publishing ranked in as some of the most successful industries using mobile bar codes.

?This report is meant to fuel marketers? confidence when rolling out mobile bar code campaigns,? Mr. Javitch said.

?As long as the value and consumer interaction is there, the technology and user interaction is already established,? he said.

Scanbuy estimates that there are 45 million smartphones in the U.S. that are capable of scanning mobile bar codes.

?At a high level, a user needs options with mobile barcodes, which includes offering  several videos or pieces of content to pick how they want to interact with it,? Mr. Javitch said.

?The mobile industry is growing quickly and marketers are testing what works with their business and integrating it into their business plans,? he said.

?Marketers will start to look at the technology more strategically in the future.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York