Oxfam, a conglomerate of organizations that seeks to obliterate poverty and injustice around the world, has begun using QR codes to teach people about the history behind second-hand goods. The organization is using a new mobile application called Shelflife. Shelflife functions as a barcode scanner, allowing users to unlock the content contained within QR codes. Oxfam owns a chain of stores that contains second-hand goods and will be creating QR codes for each item.
When these codes are scanned with the Shelflife application, consumers will be able to learn the story behind a particular item. Oxfam believes that items with a history will sell well, as many consumers enjoy owning products with a story behind them. The profits generated through the endeavor will go toward the charity’s various philanthropic endeavors around the world.
Oxfam likens the initiative to a kind of “social museum.” Those scanning the codes will not only be able to learn the history of an object but will also be able to add their own quips in a community section. This will provide an interactive experience to shoppers, something they have responded well to in the past when dealing with other companies and organizations. Oxfam has plans to execute this plan in all of its stores throughout the world.
Currently, Shelflife is only available for iOS mobile devices. An application for Android mobile devices is also in development and will likely launch later this year.
If you’d like to learn more about Oxfam: http://www.oxfam.org/en
