Weekly Furniture World Media Note #8 from Lance Hanish: Mobile First - Using QR Codes in Your Store

A potential customer walks into your store. In front of them is a QR Code on a sign to the right of them. Why to the right of them? 94% of all humans are right handed
and tend to look in that direction first.

The prospective buyer takes a screen shot of the QR Code from their smartphone. On it, not only does the QR Code give them printed information about your store, including a map of where various products are located, but also through either audio or video ‘Welcoming Them To Our Unique Shopping Experience’. It’s called ‘breaking the ice’ with a warm, personal message directed by management in a way that entices them to enter rather than have a salesperson say, “Hi. What are you looking for?” More often than not, that cold welcome turns off the potential customer in an instant. Through an audio or video message they are welcomed with open arms.

In five or six different areas in the store you can have ‘comfortable living’ PodZones.

These can be category PodZones. Again through audio and/or video embedded in QR Codes, you can show the prospective customer the features and benefits of why your selection is better than the competition. You can convince them that today they have found the right place to shop and buy.

Want to go further with your retail modernization? Put QR Codes on each of your product hangtags. Now, you can tell the prospective buyer, while they are viewing the product, the story you want to tell. This increases the closure at the point of sale. This is how you can increase your sales closure rate and increase your ROI.

On average, it costs $225 to bring a prospect into the retail location. What is your close rate? If you increase your close rate 10%, you will pay for your advertising.

The secret to closing is in keeping the customer in your store. The longer they are there, the better the chance you have of selling them. Mobile interactivity assists in keeping potential customers in your store through innovative QR Code PodZones is the way to do this.

Klaus Paulsen, head of CNA PodZone, tells us that technologies come and go. It is the magic of storytelling that allows technology to work in favor of the retailers. “If we can weave the story in an interesting fashion to gain their acceptance for our brand, we allow their stay within our store(s) to become longer.” With that interactivity we build trust. Trust leads to acceptance. Acceptance leads to sales.”

“With innovative QR Codes, adding audio or video instead of plain old text, we enhance our ability to keep the prospective customer involved.,” stated Paulsen.

Through mobile, we can connect to the prospective buyer within our store immediately, on their own time in their preferred way of gaining valuable information via their mobile device. Remember, mobile devices are more than just smartphones. They include iPads and other tablets as well. By using this mobile technological correctly, we increase the chance of keeping them in our store longer then they intended and thus the rate of sale increases dramatically.

Imagine, QR Codes that give more then text. Through CNA PodZone you can now deliver valuable informational direction to the potential customer. Via audio and/or video embedded, the way management wants it presented is guaranteed.

Oh by the way, that’s the way the customer wants it presented as well.

Today’s consumer is television, video based. They expect to see things in color, move and talk. Now through QR Codes we can do that.

Mobile in short, is a tool for you to win with today.