Scanbuy has declared an upgraded version of the ScanLife Code Management Platform. With the help of ScanLife Packaging Connect, manufacturers can link their existing UPC or EAN barcodes with information content available on the web. With the click of a button brand proprietors can grant access to relevant digital content like recipe ideas, product demo videos, coupon offers, social network feeds and more.
Scanbuy is working on this application alongside Augme which allows brands to quickly and efficiently create highly branded, mobile-formatted content to improvise on the consumer experience, thus effectively mobilizing product packaging. This comprehensive solution is being offered by Graphic Packaging International (GPI) and Shorewood Packaging (International Paper). Over the next 12 months, a number of products will be released on the ScanLife Packaging Connect system which will enable mobile phone users to check on vital information from recipes to coupon discounts.
Augme CEO Mark Severini commented on the partnership between Scanbuy and Augme by saying that, “The integrated offering created by this partnership is a first-of-its-kind application for mobile marketing, which is consistent with the mission of Augme. Scanbuy’s market leading mobile scanning capabilities combined with the full power of the AD LIFE platform creates an immediate opportunity for packaging companies to augment the value of their packaging by bringing to life the products they sell for the mobile consumer.”
While Scanbuy CEO Jonathan Bulkeley said that, “Barcodes can be found on virtually any package around the world, so this technology gives brands an easy way to deliver information to the consumer whether they are at home or in the store. While price comparison information is great for certain categories, like consumer electronics, it does not provide value for the thousands of products we use every day. The ScanLife Packaging Connect solution will link our millions of users to content which the brand can control.”
The ScanLife application was recently upgraded for smartphone platforms like Android, BlackBerry and iPhone so as to enable reading of one dimensional barcodes such as the UPC, EAN and ISBN. Users can scan these barcodes stuck on electronics, books, and DVDs with the help of their camera phones and either compare prices or read reviews. Many consumer brands have already registered their UPC codes with the application.
Most of the phones manufactured these days like Motorola Droid, BlackBerry Tour, iPhone 3GS, etc. with integrated autofocus cameras, which is a pre-requisite of the application to read the UPC barcodes. In addition to the 1D barcodes, ScanLife can also read major 2D barcodes such as Datamatrix, EZcode, and QR which are stuck on print materials like magazines, outdoor displays, etc. This application can be downloaded at no cost from getscanlife.com. Alternatively, it can also be downloaded from Android Market, BlackBerry App World and Apple App Store.