As I don’t yet have one of the newer smartphone models, I wonder how this is catching on amongst those who do?  I’m not sure I would be one to stand around a grocery store for hours snapping labels, but hey, whatever floats your boat.  However, it seems companies are betting big on this becoming a normal part of people’s shopping habits.  Last year, DuPont teamed with Scanbuy to put the new 2-D bar codes on their customers’ packaging “to automatically display a specific mobile website and launch video clips–users can then view and share that information via social networking communities.”   Isn’t DuPont the company that manufacturers nonstick pots and pans?  So I’m going to stand in a store watching videos about say, the origins of my frying pan, and share that with my friends?  Maybe I’m a bit old school, but this whole idea seems a bit like the cue cat.  Motorola recently got in the Scanbuy game, investing an undisclosed sum, and Sprint is now pre-loading it on phones.

I think what concerns me most is in their recent press release it states, “From there, Scanbuy servers query the databases of a number of retail organizations with which it has partnered, including Amazon.com Inc. and Shopping.com, gathering product and price information and returning it to a screen in the app.”  So the results you’re getting aren’t unbiased information.

Taking a look at their website, a marketer can register for a business account and try it free for 30 days.  There is no upfront cost information to share with you.  Please, go do it and report back to me your experience!  Inquiring minds want to know!  I also see that you can get a free ‘personal’ account to create 2-D bar codes for your blog to put on your “business cards, t-shirts, email.”  Great!  I’ll make a t-shirt and you can scan my chest to get to my blog.  Weird or a fashion statement?!

Perhaps one day Scanlife will be ubiquitous and it won’t seem so bizarre.  I’d like to hear from any readers that use it, how it is changing their life?  On that note, I’ll leave you with this explanation video…have a great week!

Scanlife demonstration