Tesco unveils virtual store powered by QR codes in South Korea

QR codes and Augmented Reality Campaign for Tesco

QR Code Campaign for Tesco
Retailers all over the world have been implanting QR codes into their businesses. The advertising has been quick to develop new and innovative uses for the blocky barcodes. While some retailers have been shifting their focus away from QR codes to the emergence of NFC technology, Tesco, a global grocery and general merchandize retailer based in the UK, has been putting the codes to good use. Tesco has introduced a new way to shop in South Korea entirely driven by QR codes.

The Asian market has been very accommodating to mobile technology. QR codes, in particular, have been adopted with readiness since their birth in Japan. The codes are often used in marketing in big cities like Hong Kong and Seoul, South Korea, and as mobile technology continues to find its way into the lives of more people, the way they in which they shop is changing.

Tesco has unveiled a new virtual store where South Koreans can shop for groceries with their smart phones. The store does have a physical representation, but it has no physical products. Instead, the store’s inventory is shown as pictures on a wall, each attributed with their own QR codes. When shoppers scan the codes, that product is placed into their online shopping cart. When they are done shopping, they pay the same way they would with any other form of online shopping. The groceries are then delivered to their home within a day of purchase.

Tesco has been using QR codes extensively for the past three months. In that time, Tesco’s sales have risen 130%. The retailers hopes that their new venture will prove as successful as their previous uses of QR codes.

Leave a Comment


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.