Mobile Marketing - What Every Retailer Needs To Know

By Taylor Smith, Director of Product Management – Scanning, Honeywell Scanning and Mobility

Since a Wrigley’s pack of gum became the first commercial item scanned over 35 years ago, the retail industry has been witness to a number of unpredictable technological advancements. Laser bar code scanners are being replaced by area-imaging scanners that more closely resemble a digital camera than a traditional bar code scanner. Bar codes now contain more information in a smaller area using complex two dimensional (2D) arrays rather than familiar linear bars and spaces. The Internet has revolutionized both the personal and professional worlds and nearly every adult carries around a powerful, pocket-sized device we call a mobile phone.

How is all that relevant to mobile marketing? The technological advancements listed above are the fundamental building blocks used to deliver a world-class mobile marketing experience for consumers. The Internet and mobile phones provide a platform to communicate and target individual consumers anytime and anywhere. 2D bar codes allow data to be contained in a small enough space to be displayed on the screen of a mobile phone; new area-imaging scanners can read these bar codes directly off of a mobile phone display, unlike traditional laser scanners.