Social Media for Grocery | POS Software Advice

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A Virtual Grocery Store Using QR Codes

Mar 082012

Quick Response (QR) codes, what are they and have you seen them? You have probably seen QR codes around and they are slowly becoming more popular for the use of marketing products. What QR codes are is a data-rich barcode that allows the consumer access to multimedia content by simply scanning the code on a mobile device. However, many argue that even though the idea of QR codes are new and innovative, they will eventually fade out in the future and become forgotten. Why do you ask?

Scanning QR code with mobile device

QR codes are a useful way to gain access to digital information simply through scanning the code located on the product. I have seen QR codes come up more often on places such as billboards, wine bottles, window displays, and even the television! However, I never find myself with the urge to pull out my phone to scan the code. Don’t get me wrong, QR codes look cool and interesting, but ultimately many are not interested in scanning the barcode for information they potentially will not find any personal use for. That is where the company Tesco Homeplus comes in.

Tesco is a UK retailer working in South Korea taking QR codes to a whole another level! The people in South Korea hate shopping and see it as a hassle to take time out of their busy schedules to do so. However, Tesco has come to the rescue to take away the burden and stress of grocery shopping through the use of QR codes. South Korea currently stands as one of the most mobile-connected countries in the world and integrating QR codes and grocery shopping together seems like the perfect recipe.

Virtual grocery store

The new idea of grocery shopping through QR codes all started in the capital of South Korea, Seoul. The virtual grocery store is located in the metro station because of the heavy traffic of people that use the transportation daily to get to work and around town. As people wait for the metro to arrive, what better way to spend that free time than virtually grocery shopping! The virtual store has pictures of various grocery items with a QR code linked to the product ready to scan with a mobile device. Once the code is scanned, the product is then linked to their user account and the groceries ordered will be physically delivered to their home even before getting home from work. Not only does the virtual grocery store bring convenience to busy lifestyles but also allows for spontaneous purchasing. Thus creating a major increase in sales for online shopping at 76% and actual sales going up to 130%.

Maybe the idea of QR codes aren’t so bad. Tesco really embraced the use of QR codes and took advantage of the technology to create an idea suitable for ones with the busier lifestyle. The people of South Korea have really embraced the new way of grocery shopping and maybe it’s time for us to give QR codes a second chance? So next time you see a QR code, don’t be hesitant to try it out because you never know what you’ll get. It doesn’t hurt to try and I promise the next time I see a QR code I will definitely give it quick scan with my mobile device.

Have you heard of QR codes before? Or have you scanned a QR code before? Tell me your experiences because I would love to hear them. Feel free to leave comments and as always, thank you for reading.

6 Helpful Tips On Using QR Codes

Grocery Gadgets of the Future, Grocery Store Ideas, New technology for Grocers, Social Media for Grocery, Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 142011

By now I assume that you’ve all seen the Quick Response codes, QR for short. Ever since they came out there has been an ongoing argument, one side supporting QR codes thinking that they are the future of marketing and other arguing that it’s just another technological phase and in time it’ll be extinct!

My experience with QR codes has been altogether negative. Every time I have scanned in a QR code with my android phone I’ve been sent to a web page that offers nothing of value to me! However, statistics have shown that the few companies that use these QR codes correctly actually see a growth in sales and have experienced an increase in brand awareness. My goal in this blog post is to give you six key points to QR code a success!

1. What’s Your Point?

You have to realize that the point of the QR codes is to market your product. So figure out what you want your potential customer to see.

Is it a video about a new product that your company is releasing?
Is it a coupon that will give them 10% off on their next purchase?
Are you trying to get people to sign up to your email list so you offer them discounts?

Remember to make your point and that’s it! Don’t put too much information or else your customer will be get bored and leave.

2. Is it Eye Catching?

Have you created a reason to create a QR code? Good, now it’s your job to make it attractive to your customers. So let’s continue with the 10% off purchase example, above the QR code mention that “scan now and get 10 percent off!” It’s important to keep your statement short. Think of it as a competition to create the world’s shortest campaign pitch!

3. Does It Look good?

Believe it or not, those plain black and white QR codes are not very attractive. I know, don’t judge a book by its cover, but why not? If something doesn’t grab my attention why should I dedicate time on it? So remember if your QR code is attractive you will most likely get more scans! So add some color and maybe a nice frame on the outside, believe me you’ll catch the attention of a lot more people, which will give good results for your store!

4. Is it Phone Friendly?

Another way to get good results for your store is to make your QR codes phone compatible! A good amount of these codes send their customers to a full desktop page. This will annoy your customer because it takes a longer time to load and it’s harder to maneuver through the site! So make sure you have a mobile page that takes your customer directly to the page you want to send them to!

5. What is your Bounce Rate?

Results are important, it shows you that your marketing techniques are either working or failing. So yeah it’s nice to have 100 hits in a day but they’re not the best results because people may be going to your page and then leaving within the first 30 seconds! So by creating meaningful data you may begin to notice that your customers are going onto your page and staying; which is the whole idea behind QR codes, first you want to attract your customer than keep them coming back for more.

But if you have low numbers don’t take your QR code down just yet. First look at your code, is it working properly? Is it in a reasonable area where people can reach it or even see it? If you answered yes, then maybe it’s time to go back to step one. Put yourself in your customers shows are you giving material that they might be interested in?

6. Is Your Facebook Page Awesome?

It’s nice to get a lot of hits on your QR codes, but you have to think of the bigger picture! And bigger picture is, drum roll……………………………..TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED ABOUT YOUR STORE! Those QR codes are just there as a marketing device that should ultimately attract people to your store. So if you begin to realize that more people are liking you on facebook or following you on twitter than you know that your campaign to attract customers has worked!

Now it’s your turn readers, have you or will you implement QR codes into your store? Leave your comments below

Statistics about SOCIAL MEDIA you probably didn’t know

Social Media for Grocery No Responses »

Aug 252011

In recent weeks I have been trying to get my head around how to really and truly employ social media to effectively promote grocery stores. There are a lot of “Social Media Scientists”, “Marketing Guru’s”, and “Social Expert’s” on the web but I’ve found that none of them say anything that is related directly with how to market grocery stores. I’ve touched on this before in a previous blog, but I would like to draw from some very helpful statistical data that I came across earlier this week at The Science of Social Media webinar.

I’ve mined out the gems as they relate to marketing for grocery stores. Specifically what characteristics the majority of prominent profiles have:

*Some of this data may be shocking and against what you have heard or believe… Here is a link to a free ebook that will explain all of this in much more depth, and will provide you with the data to back up these 8 points.

They don’t spend time engaging with their followers – they tend to post really interesting informative links, generate a lot of unique high-quality information, and be thought leaders within the industry
They don’t bombard their contacts with posts/ status updates, but rather disperse their updates into manageable updates. 1-2 post every hour is a good start. (Hootsuite is a web application that allows users to link all of their social media profiles together and then schedule posts accordingly.)
They realize that the most people are on Twitter between 6:30-9:30am (PST), and always schedule posts during these times.
They also realize that Friday is the day of the week with the highest twitter activity.
They include “Please Retweet” in their tweet’s because the data shows because it is 4x more likely to be retweeted if you ask them to do it.
On a similar note if you ask for comments you will be more likely to get comments.
Being a negative nancy does not help get more followers. People follow positive inspiring people.
And lastly don’t talk about yourself insistently nobody cares… unless you are @KimKardashian.

Last do not be discouraged if you are not immediately successful. It takes time, timing, and lots of luck to be a social media success.

And if a year down the road you still have 20 followers and you are following 300 people just remember if Rebecca Black can do it… so can you! If you don’t know who Rebecca Black is then you obviously need to get more actively engaged on social media.