Five From Five: NeoMedia Sees Explosive Growth; Agreement On Open Industry Standards
Laura Marriott, CEO, NeoMedia Technologies, is the second in our series of five innovators in mobile codes stepping up to offer predictions for 2011. By way of background, NeoMedia’s product portfolio includes: mobile barcode management & infrastructure solutions, barcode reader solutions, Mobile Coupon & Affiliate Marketing, Mobile Ticketing & POS Integration and IP Licensing. Current customers include handset manufacturers, platform providers, brands and agencies looking to offer mobile barcode solutions to their customer base.
Laura’s top five predictions for 2011 are:
1. The market will see continued explosive growth of smartphone users, making mobile barcodes all the more accessible, as well, we will see an increase in the number of handsets available with pre-loaded mobile barcode scanners.
2. We will see far greater consumer awareness for mobile barcodes as leading brands such as Facebook, Google, Best Buy, Apple and Procter & Gamble continue to deploy mobile barcode enabled campaigns.
3. We will also see greater integration of mobile 2D barcodes in retail – whether at shelf or on the pack – for applications ranging from marketing/advertising and loyalty to inventory control.
4. 2D mobile barcodes will also become an integral part of traditional and digital media campaigns – like the URL address is now.
5. We expect to see some agreement around methodology and standards in 2011. More precisely, we expect to see industry agreement around a standard for barcode symbology, the QR code, and we expect that campaigns will choose managed direct as the methodology of choice.
Overall, Laura predicts that consumer awareness of barcodes will grow exponentially in the next year, driven by the continued proliferation of mobile barcode standards and the increased adoption of barcode campaigns by major brands. Put simply, barcodes will become truly mainstream in 2011.
As she put it: “2010, and particularly the second half of the year, has seen mobile barcodes experience tremendous market adoption. We’re already seeing impressive adoption by brands, handset manufacturers and operators for use in mobile marketing and advertising campaigns, as well as in other sectors such as retail and logistics, and this will continue to grow in 2011 as barriers to adoption such as consumer education, handset integration and brand integration/awareness are overcome.”
What will move barcodes out of the bowling alley and into the chasm? In a word: open standards. So look for industry adoption of open standards to be particularly important for the continued uptake of mobile barcodes in 2011.
January 10th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
[...] may recall Laura’s take on barcode trends and her list of 2011 industry predictions, which we published here in late December as part of the popular and viral Five From Five series showcasing the top five [...]