Press release
More and more retailers are bringing their online shops to the offline world using QR Codes. In 2012, over 300 virtual stores were published worldwide in 2012 and over 2,000 have already being planned for 2013. With the rise of mobile devices, retailers are starting to offer ultimate shopping convenience. Retailer chains and supermarkets are addressing the time challenges and online mind-set of the modern world, by bringing their products to their customer on mobile devices in a virtual store.A virtual store shows products, printed on the walls of a train station, in a magazine or on the product itself.
By scanning the QR Code (a square barcode that can be read with any mobile device) next to the product of their choice, customers can place an order and get it delivered to their doorstep.
Fueling this trend is Shop2Mobi, a Dutch internet startup, that offers a service for retailers to easily start a QR Code store from scratch.
“Offering customers ultimate convenience, both offline and online, is a huge trend, ” says says Roman Markovski, co-founder of Shop2Mobi.
Companies around the world are already selling products using QR Codes, including Walmart, Best-Buy, Tesco and PayPal. Clothing and apparel, as well as souvenir and electronics retailers are the first to adopt the new technology.
John Lewis and eBay have created a special Christmas pop-up store in the UK, and Amsterdam has opened its first ‘digital mall’ in city center.
QR Code stores were introduced by Tesco in South Korea, but have already reached USA, China, Germany and Brazil.
In the meantime Tesco has adopted virtual stores in their strategy and have gained the largest market share in Korea.
It remains to be seen who takes the lead in the West.
About Shop2Mobi
Shop2Mobi is a Dutch startup that enables retailers to create QR Code stores easily. The mobile shop created with Shop2Mobi lets consumers purchase products using their smartphones.
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