Whether this barcoded apparel will be considered cool or desperate has yet to be seen.
QRTribe apparel has just released a product line including QR code tshirts that features a customized barcode that can be scanned by smartphone users in order to obtain information about the wearer.
Only time will tell whether or not this new fashion will catch on.
At the moment, it has the potential to occupy a specific niche market. It allows the consumer to select a piece of apparel and have his or her own unique quick response code printed upon it so that anyone who scans it can obtain whatever information the wearer would like to share. This can include everything from a name to a complete biography with contact information.
It can also share links to a Facebook page, or accounts at other social networks, or a phone number.
Though the barcodes have become quite popular among brands and for advertising for products, it isn’t yet certain whether individuals are going to be partial to the idea of sharing a kind of Wikipedia page about themselves with everyone who happens to have a mobile device. Moreover, in a world in which there is the ever present threat of cyber attacks and identity theft, many people hesitate to plaster their personal contact data and contact information out there for all to see.
Both women and men hesitate to divulge everything about themselves when they meet for the first time, so these QR code tshirts may be seen as a fast track to kill the mystery that many people find so attractive at the beginning of a relationship.
This apparel comes with a price tag ranging from $40 to $100. For those who are truly tech addicts, this new gimmick may be well worth the price just for the novelty, fun, and attention they receive. It may not be something that they want to wear every day, but it could be an interesting ice breaker within certain more specific situations.
Aside from QR code tshirts, there are also other types of clothing, such as jackets, and gear, for example bags, which can each feature the personalized barcode.