What does 2012 have in store for mobile bar codes?
There are differing theories on whether or not QR codes will dominate in 2012.
NeoMedia Technologies is bullish on the potential for QR codes in 2012 and beyond.
"While bar codes certainly hit their stride in 2011, we will see more and more bar codes implemented in all facets of marketing and advertising initiatives due to the continued penetration of smartphones and increased consumer willingness to interact bar codes," said Laura Marriott, Denver-based CEO and board chairperson (acting) of NeoMedia.
"Bar codes will also begin to be launched alongside NFC initiatives in 2012, as the technologies are increasingly seen as complementary, rather than competitive to each other," she said. "We will see increased utilization of 1D for extended packaging, promotion, loyalty and advertising as consumer shopping habits continue to evolve.
"We believe the outlook for bar codes is stronger than ever with 2012 seeing barcodes becoming one of the most utilized mobile media elements."
NeoMedia, a bar code services provider, came up with five QR code predictions for 2012.
QR codes will dominate
Increasing smartphone penetration, greater consumer awareness and brand confidence will drive the growth of QR code adoption by both brands and consumers in 2012.
NeoMedia predicts that bar codes will be the dominant 2D symbology in 2012 and most used by marketers across all sectors.
QR codes front and center
Another interesting prediction NeoMedia made in 2012 is an expectation to see a rise in mobile bar code scanning applications integrated into brand and retail mobile marketing applications to enable greater consumer participation, expanded loyalty initiatives and overall enhanced consumer experience when in store.
Coupled with this, NeoMedia bets the industry will see hardware solutions at retail support mobile bar code scanning on a much wider basis in 2012.
Additionally, bar code campaigns will reach a level of unprecedented maturity in 2012. Bar code campaigns will be much more than simply a Web redirect and take center stage in campaign design, per NeoMedia.
1D scanning rises
At the same time as 2D scanning grows, 1D scanning for extended packaging, promotion, loyalty and advertising will also grow.
NeoMedia also predicts that major industry bodies, such as GS1, will continue to work to enhance the product information behind the scan, to ensure a more positive consumer experience and more accurate data.
The influence of bar code scanning on the consumer?s shopping habits will only continue to grow as marketers further engage with mobile bar codes.
Mobile Web takes center stage
The ubiquity of the mobile Web cross platform, cost associated with developing applications across multiple platforms and, the experiences enabled by a mobile Web environment will lead to a shift toward the mobile Web.
NeoMedia predicts that the rise in mobile Web will directly correlate to the rise of mobile bar codes.
Mobile bar codes make it easier than ever to connect to the mobile Web, no more typing cumbersome URLs.
U.S. emerges as market leader
According to NeoMedia, the United States market will rise to dominate mobile marketing globally as smartphones, tablets and other Internet-connected devices increasingly become ubiquitous.
In the U.S., expect smartphones to hold the lion?s share of the market by the end of 2012.
What does the industry need to do in order to fuel the growth of bar codes in 2012?
"Consistent guidelines and best practices, use of global open standards ? more open standards, less proprietary implementations, consumer and brand education, greater creativity and collaboration across all players in the ecosystem," Ms. Marriott said.