When I called in to a Shell station in Reading on Saturday to fill up my car with fuel, I noticed this banner attached to the side of the pump I was using. "Fill up and go here with our speedy payment service," it says. "Powered by PayPal." And there's a big QR code in the middle of the sign. It's called Fill Up And Go and the usage idea is simple: You’ll be able to use it through the Shell Motorist App. Select a pump on the forecourt, enter the maximum amount you wish to spend, then scan … [Read more...] about Shell’s big QR code experiment
QR code
Making a QR code useful isn’t rocket science
A technology that's often subject to much criticism is QR codes, those square symbols that enable a barcode scanning app on your smartphone to interpret the data they contain and deliver information to you when you scan them Much of the criticism is about how QR codes are presented by those who create them, often in ways that are simply lame or even mind boggling. But when you see a great example of how a QR code is being used to convey useful information on a practical level, that's when … [Read more...] about Making a QR code useful isn’t rocket science
Imagine what the Bank of England could have done with its QR code ad
A quarter-page ad by the Bank of England in yesterday's Telegraph caught my eye primarily because it contained a QR code. The print ad informs you that the £50 note featuring an engraved portrait of Sir John Houblon on the reverse side will be withdrawn from circulation at the end of April. The ad also includes a phone number, email and website addresses, plus a QR code that you'd typically scan with a barcode scanning app on your smartphone to bring you something - further information, … [Read more...] about Imagine what the Bank of England could have done with its QR code ad
Buy a real pint with a virtual currency
A British pub lets you pay for your pint with Bitcoins: [...] The system is quick and effective. The bar staff press two buttons on the till and the screen displays a QR code. The customer opens their digital Bitcoin wallet, takes a snap of the screen and confirms the payment. The staff press one more button and the transaction is complete. Snapping the QR code in a crowded bar could be a challenge but in a quiet pub it is faster than paying by card. It's an imaginative use of a QR code. … [Read more...] about Buy a real pint with a virtual currency
McDonald’s new packaging, a QR code and telling brand stories
The next time you visit a McDonald's restaurant, especially in the US, check the packaging for information about the nutritional value of the food you're about to eat. While you can read concise info on the packaging itself, more interesting perhaps is a link to that information in the form of a QR code that you scan with your smartphone's camera; that action then brings information from a McDonald's website to your screen that you can read and also share with your social networks. As many … [Read more...] about McDonald’s new packaging, a QR code and telling brand stories