ScanBuy wants to turn your camera phone into the smartest shopper you know. Say you're in Neiman-Marcus shopping for yet another pair of flip-flops but you're pretty sure you can get them cheaper somewhere else.
I just don't see price comparison being the big ticket for physical world connection. Will you really click on those flip-flops and do a price compare? You're in Nedless Markup already, you're not price conscious.
Clicking on a barcode and getting offers on other products made by the flip-flop co, that might be a different story. Click on a Jimmy Buffet CD to get a ringtone, but do a price compare on the CD?
Why will advertisers get behind a service that minimizes their margins? Ask yourself next time you're shopping, "would I really go to another store to save x amount for this?"
ScanBuy is one of my physical world connection companies.
This is great technology, but in my opinion there are better applications to come from it.
Whip out your ScanBuy-enabled camera phone and take a picture of the flip-flops' bar code and wait a few moments: ScanBuy will tell you the name of the store where you can get the same flip-flops at a lower price, on the Internet.
Just before press time, we received a ScanBuy-enabled phone here in the dank, dark depths of Tribune Tower, so we haven't been able to test the technology in the real world yet. But something with such a high coolness factor deserves the Tribune twice-over, so look for our review soon.
4 comments:
SCANBUY IS BEING SUED BY NEOMEDIA TECHNOLOGY FT MEYER,FL,
THEIR APPLIED FOR "PATENTS" HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE US AND EU.
VIRGIN ENT AND AIRCLIC HAVE ALREADY SETTLED.
BEING A PRIVATE COMPANY THEY CAN SUBVERT THE LAW???
I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV.. Ask Sandra Day, she has some free time now.
Think that some users will like being able to decide at the store whether a higher price and taking immediate possession/use of an item is worth any price differential uncovered when doing a price comparison. Sometimes it's just not worth saving a buck to walk across the street. On the other hand, could use the price differential to negotiate a 'match this price and I'll buy it now from you' scenario when dealing with a salesperson. We'll see.
How often do you see items that you negotiate on, have a barcode?
Don't get me wrong, it's a neat app, I just don't see mass adoption.
Think about a TV, a car, DVD player, and a box of cereal. 2 of the 4 (TV and car) don't have barcodes, and the other two I doubt you will spend the effort on your phone to get a better price.
If you're shopping for a Sony DVD player, chances are you looked online thru Froogle. It's not an impulse buy.
Instead of price comparing, turn on the product. Make the product interactive..there's so much more to gain from both the consumer and advertiser.
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