Norwich, Conn. — A Norwich business owner is on the cutting edge of smartphone technology that promises to profoundly change how local business is conducted.
Maria Miranda, founder and creative director of Miranda Creative Inc., gave a presentation Friday detailing growing use of Quick Response, or QR, codes, during a Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut breakfast. QR codes, which are designed squares that cell phone users can swipe and bring up Internet sites, is being used in Europe and Asia to purchase goods, something that will one day happen frequently in the United States, Miranda said.
“Local businesses can use them and compete on a national level,” Miranda said to an audience of 85 at Three Rivers Community College.
Chamber President and CEO Tony Sheridan called upon the attendees to steer QR code sales to Eastern Connecticut stores.
“You can buy over the Internet and have them shipped to local stores,” he said. “And those stores get credit for those sales.”
Retailers J.C. Penney and Macy’s have rolled out “very advanced” QR campaigns but Miranda doesn’t see Black Friday shopping lines disappearing right away. "This year it’s a little early,” she said. “But more people are using them to bypass the retail experience.” QR codes will cause some job losses but societies will gain in the long term, Sheridan said.
“We’re losing jobs but we’re making life much more simple,” he said. “It’s a new world, really.”
The personal possibilities opened up by QR codes thrilled Dianne Kent, Norwich-based community relations manager at People’s United Bank.
“We’re not allowed to use them in the bank because of security reasons,” she said. “But I can’t wait to start going around and trying them out.”
QR codes are a great way to reach high net worth individuals, Miranda said, something crucial to tourism and real estate businesses in New London and Windham counties.
“They’re young and they’re wealthy,” she said in summarizing the bulk of the QR user market.
Newspapers and magazines are among the major users of QRs. Television uses them much less frequently for good reason, Miranda said.
“They expect you to get out of your chair and go to the screen to swipe the QR?,” she asked rhetorically. “Yeah, right.” Positioning a QR properly can have great results, Miranda said. She praised the smarts of Foxwoods Resort Casino’s placement in one of the world’s busiest transportation centers.
“They put it on ATM machines in (New York’s) Penn Station,” Miranda said. “There’s never not a line at an ATM in Penn Station.”Some have stumbled in the QR market because of lack of thoroughness,” Miranda said. “It’s critical to test QR codes after you make them to make sure they work,” she said.
Wireless Zone Norwich owner Todd Postler set up a booth outside the meeting room to answer questions about QRs and other phone technologies.
“People are getting more excited,” he said. “It’s just another great thing that a smartphone can do.”
Originally published on http://www.norwichbulletin.com
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