Scan barcodes to unlock digital content, attach content, and receive promotional offers. Welcome to the product checkin.
Stickybits is based on a relatively simple principle: turning objects into media.
Using an iPhone or Android app, users can scan the unique barcode for any product or thing to which a barcode is attached. This unlocks a digital realm, if you will, that is associated with that barcode. Within this realm you’ll find a stream of content that includes photos, videos, reviews, and potentially coupons if it’s a consumer product like Campbell’s Soup or a can of Pepsi Cola. The best content gets voted to the top, and each scan is geo-tagged with its latitude and longitude.
As simple as it sounds, this is a big part of the location-based marketing revolution. A product checkin means a consumer is both present and engaged with a particular brand and product, often at a place where that product can be immediately purchased. Indeed, by scanning the product, a purchase is likely being considered. Additionally, one can share this experience—this moment—with their social graph via Facebook and Twitter. This new behavior is a transformational concept for product manufacturers and retailers alike.
Think of it this way: Our LEA solution treats locations like websites. Through smartphone devices and location-aware applications like Foursquare, MyTown, and Whrrl, consumers engage with physical places much in the same way they do with websites or a Facebook Page. Through our LEA solution, brands can now monitor this real-world activity through a web-style analytics dashboard. A Stickybits product checkin represents a deeper engagement with a location i.e. what happens beyond the initial checkin. So it’s like tracking what a visitor does when they get to your website i.e. what pages they view, what products they click, what videos they watch, etc. Only it’s in a physical store, where the conversion rate for some type of sale is close to 50%.
Stickybits is preparing to release version 2.0 of its platform by mid-October, which includes a redesign with (cool) new features for consumers and marketers alike. These will make the experience more useful, social, engaging, and ultimately rewarding for all.
As this is a both a new marketing category and consumer behavior, it will take time to evolve and become adopted. The product checkin will rely on innovative marketers taking the initiative to encourage this new behavior by running incentive-based campaigns, producing valuable content, and making the barcode more accessible. Those who take the lead will have a significant advantage as consumers discover the benefits of engaging and interacting with products in this unique way. These engagements will be part of the location-based analytics MomentFeed provides through its LEA solution.
