
Scanbuy, which specialises in mobile barcode solutions, has launched commercial operations in Spain, bringing a complete mobile barcode service to marketers and media publishers in the country.
The service, locally known as BIDI, has been launched in partnership with Spain’s three leading operators, Movistar, Vodafone, and Orange. The operators are already pre-loading the mobile application into millions of new phones, which Scanbuy says will make it the most widely deployed 2D barcode application in the world outside of Japan.
2D barcodes are used by a business or enterprise to immediately connect their audience to digital content using the phone’s camera and barcode reader. The information could include product offers, interactive video, contact information and more. The codes can be placed on virtually any media, including magazines, billboards, television, packaging or the internet.
In 2009, Scanbuy partnered with Movistar, Vodafone and Orange to develop an interoperable service so that any supported device could scan a 2D code generated from the platform. Now, the service has been commercially launched to the public, and Scanbuy says a number of top marketers are already using BIDI. Scanbuy has also launched sales operations in Madrid to develop sales and marketing efforts. More than 20 sales partners will also offer the BIDI service to different industry sectors.
“The current conditions in Spain are right for the proliferation of BIDI codes,” says Agustin Calvo, Scanbuy’s Country Manager in Spain. Over 25 per cent of mobile users already have flat-rate data, the use of camera phones is widespread, and the application is already available across different phone types. We have worked with numerous partners who are already using BIDIs in their campaigns and we are trying to push the Spanish market in order to ensure that the BIDI application is available for the majority of mobile phone users.”
The BIDI app, known as ScanLife in other regions like North America, is now compatible with more than 340 handset models from leading handset makers. It is being pre-loaded on many of these devices, and Scanbuy says that by the end of 2010, it is expected that over 10m devices will have the BIDI app installed across the different operators.
Business users can create, manage, and track their 2D codes using the BIDI Code Management Platform. The system provides performance data including the number of scans, unique users, location and handset type to gives publishers an insight into how users are interacting with their traditional media.