Grocery Gripe

I’m sure I’m one of the millions who hate grocery shopping. I dread going and there always seems to be something else I’d rather do. I wait until I am completely out of everything to go. Apparently, even people continents away share my mutual hatred of grocery shopping.
In South Korea, an advertising agency’s client needed to increase the number of consumers who shopped at their grocery stores without having to create more brick and mortar locations. Their solution was to set up virtual grocery stores in subway stations. The shelves of items were stocked and laid out just like the shelves were in stores. Consumers were able to scan the QR code on the items they wanted with their smartphone and add them to their shopping cart. Once they were finished, they could pay and the groceries would be shipped to the desired address within hours.
Research showed that most South Koreans were constantly on the go and thought grocery shopping was a mundane task. The agency brought the grocery store to the consumer and sales for the client increased. While we may not have subways in Louisville, the idea is still pretty cool. I know I would use the technology! If mobile phones are capable of helping us grocery shop, just think of where we’ll be in the next five years! Mobile technology is huge and increasing at a rapid pace. According to MHG Marketing, about 62% of those who have scanned QR codes have done so multiple times and seven out of ten say they would be interested in using a QR code, for either the first time or again. Mobile barcode (1D and 2D) scanning traffic has also increased over 800% from this time a year ago according to ScanLife. It looks like QR code usage is on the rise but for now check out this video to see the virtual grocery stores for yourself.