Mobile tagging
The term mobile tagging (in German about "marking for the mobile phone") describes the process in which a barcode is read from a labeled object, from a magazine or from a display with the help of the camera of a mobile handheld device . Various 2D barcodes are usually used as codes , and multi-colored codes are also known. A wide variety of data formats can be stored in the codes.
history
Mobile tagging emerged in some Asian countries, particularly Japan, around 2003 and has since been used in several areas of mobile marketing . The Denso QR code in Asia and the DataMatrix developed in America have established themselves as the most widely used 2D codes with ISO standards .
Reasons for the sustainable success of mobile tagging are, in addition to the flexible and diverse areas of application, the fast, precise and customer-controlled access to information. Thanks to the principle of the physical world connection, the user can, for example, by tagging a code in a newspaper advertisement, access additional information immediately if desired (see above).
Codes and readers
The code content is mostly in mobile tagging
- a URL pointing to a page of a website refers to the one after the decoding directly over the phone - browser is forwarded.
- a transaction code that is used in a dialog flow.
- an access code that allows one-time access to additional data.
- an address data record (virtual business card ) that can be saved as a contact in a dialog flow in mobile devices.
There are currently over 70 different 2D barcodes with their respective variants, v. a. in logistics, in action. In mobile tagging, however, the number of codes used is essentially limited to around a dozen representatives.
functionality
In order to be able to read a 2D barcode, it is necessary to install a reader, i.e. special software, on the mobile device.
This "app" enables certain codes to be read using the cell phone's camera. These apps are free for many operating systems. The manufacturers of the readers strive to continuously expand the range of compatible cell phones. On the respective websites it is generally possible to download the software directly to the mobile phone or PC and generate your own codes using a generator.
The problem of the lack of a standard is also evident with the readers. Many readers can only read the codes specially developed for them. Other manufacturers, however, rely on already standardized codes and can both QR Code and the Data Matrix read.
Below are the most important 2D barcodes for mobile tagging and the readers that can read the respective codes.
International standardization
The symbologies of the internationally used codes are standardized, but there are numerous proprietary codes whose use with individual applications is restricted.
The so-called Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2), which was established by the companies Publicis Groupe , Hewlett Packard Laboratories , Gavitec AG and Neomedia Technologies, is currently working on the development of uniform standards for both the codes and the readers. In addition to the founders, MC2 currently includes companies such as KPN , Deutsche Telekom , Nokia and Telefónica Germany . In future, the readers will be preinstalled as standard on cell phones.
Overview of 2D codes
Areas of application
In the meantime, mobile tagging has not only found its way into everyday life for many Asians, but also for many Europeans. Campaigns in the areas of commercial, public and private tagging have already been carried out in Europe. The background and overarching objective of all applications is the vision of media convergence . Mobile tagging thus connects static information carriers with the Internet and also encourages consumers to act interactively. This is one of the reasons why leading experts assume that the markets for mobile tagging will develop similar to their Japanese counterparts in the foreseeable future.
Commercial tagging
Commercial tagging is the use of multi-dimensional barcodes with a special focus on mobile marketing and mobile advertising. This includes the offer of additional information (e.g. information on nutritional values on food), direct downloads (e.g. free ring tones, videos and mobile phone games) and direct forwarding to a company's website for information transfer or mobile shopping .
The branding capability of the barcode (integrated company logo on the code) plays a decisive role, especially in commercial tagging.
Public tagging
With public tagging, barcodes are used to provide public information carriers with additional information. These include directions, timetable information, customer reviews or other non-profit information.
Private tagging
In private tagging, personal motives are in the foreground. In addition to linking blogs and profiles, eBay auctions can be accessed on the spot (example: barcode on automobiles) with a mobile phone. In addition, 2D codes on business cards enable contact data to be saved automatically in the address book of the mobile phone. In addition to greater user comfort, private tagging also offers completely new possibilities for self-presentation.
literature
- Niklaus Stadler: Mobile Tagging in Marketing: An overview work with a focus on Near Field Communication (NFC) and QR code . AVM, Munich, 2010, ISBN 978-3-89975-372-1 .
Web links
- Erdt Concepts - specialist publication Mobile Tagging - specialist publication by Erdt Concepts on "Mobile Tagging - A new key technology in electronic business on the advance" (PDF; 497 kB)
- Wiki on Google Zebra Crossing about standards for encoding information in barcodes
- IEEE: Ralf Vandenhouten , M. Selz: "Identification and tracking of goods with the mobile phone", Logistics and Industrial Informatics, 2007. LINDI 2007. International Symposium on, pp. 25-29, 13-15 Sept. 2007 ( tm. tfh-wildau.de PDF; 397 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ often called "barcode app" or "QR app"