Will MVS be replacing QR codes? QR codes have promised to present a simple way for people with smart devices to interact with advertising, marketing and media. But after using them for a while, some users are beginning to change their view. Critics of QR codes believe that a product called Mobile Visual Search (MVS) is on its way to replacing QR codes. With MVS, we will be able connect with the actual surroundings in a more interactive way. We will be able to provide a virtual marketplace that is more familiar and accessible than with QR codes.
Jon Barocas, the founder and CEO of bieMEDIA, a Denver-based online marketing and media solutions company “started to view QR codes as a barrier to additional information. And in many instances, the rewards (whatever I received as a result of scanning the code) did not measure up to the effort of the transaction itself.”
Barocas suggests that since humans are visual animals, we have visceral reactions to images that a QR code can never evoke; what we see is directly linked to our moods, our purchasing habits and our behaviors. A more visual alternative to QR codes would not only be preferable to consumers, but would stimulate more positive responses. MVS allows you to point at a product or logo and shoot a picture with your Smartphone’s built-in camera. Within seconds, the MVS application will provide product or company information, or even the option to make a purchase at the moment on your mobile device. Many users believe that MVS is a more compelling and interactive tool to enable mobile marketing and commerce.
MVS will have wrap-around and three-dimensional recognition capabilities. Even traditional advertising could be revitalized with MVS. Embedded within the images are recognitions triggers. Smartphone users will be able to place and pay for an order to be delivered or picked up within minutes. An interactive print campaign will be able to incorporate MVS as part of a competition or game. Marketers can offer instant gratification in the form of videos, mobile links, coupons or discounts as incentive for taking the best pictures of a particular product or logo. Also, MVS can cash in on word-of-mouth marketing. Marketers will be able to seamlessly link their campaigns to social networks so consumers can share photos and rewards, such as vouchers, coupons or music downloads, with their friends.
In addition to being a more versatile medium, mobile visual search is also more secure than QR code technology. QR codes store data within the code. There is no way to know where that code is going to take you: a legitimate website, infected site, malicious app or a phishing site. MVS’s encryption modality will eliminate the opportunity for malicious code to download to your Smartphone.
MVS is about safety, security, humanization and versatility. Is it enough to replace QR codes?