QR (Quick Response) Code

CorkCode will revolutionize the wine industry.

For those intrigued by the idea… Please give us your feedback on what’s right, wrong, or your ideas to make it better by commenting below.

Here’s the idea… Think about that last time you went into a wine store.  Were you confused? Maybe even a little intimidated?  Ya, me too.  Our idea will solve that, and this is how we plan on doing it…

There is a new technology that is quickly catching on – The QR (Quick Response) Code.  In a nutshell, you can scan a QR Code with your smartphone, and a website appears.  Take a look at how marketers are successfully using QR Codes:
http://mashable.com/2010/06/10/internet-week-qr-codes/
http://socialwayne.com/2010/08/06/codes-examples-marketing-businesses/
http://www.purlem.com/blog/qr-code-in-action

Or watch this intro video on QR Codes:

Now this technology has been on my radar for the last couple of years as it’s become adopted in countries such as Japan and Australia. I believe the technology has reached a tipping point here in the states, and we will begin to see a significat rise in the use of QR Codes.   Here is a study showing  smartphone users who have used QR Codes, a strong case for the technolgy being adopted.

So how are these QR Codes going to make your wine shopping experience more enjoyable?

QR Code will have an excellent application in the liquor (especially wine) industry.  See how this Portuguese winery use the QR Code: http://mobile.kaywa.com/qr-code-data-matrix/wine-and-qr-codes.html

Now… convincing the wineries themselves to place the QR Codes on the labels themselves (like the Portuguese winery) would be a daunting task.  Regardless, The guys over at Cellar Key are making a go at this concept: http://mashable.com/2010/09/01/cellar-key/

But what if the store owner’s could simply place a QR Code sticker in front of their existing wine display, or on the bottle itself?

CorkCode Prototype

By providing the store owner with a technology like this, it would accomplish the following…

From a consumer’s perspective, walking into a wine shop can be confusing and intimidating. Having a QR Code in front of the display or on the bottle will provide a quick way to see wine notes, pairing suggestions, and ratings of the wine.  The consumer could also rank bottles themselves for future reference.

From a store owner’s perspective, providing such a service would create an online “social network” around their store and products. The social network will allow the store to remain top-of-mind for consumers, brining in repeat customers.  Also providing a value-added service like this will differentiate them from their competition.

The big three questions

There is always the unknown factors when working with new technologies. For this project they are…
1) If owner’s of boutique wine stores were given the opportunity to test out this technology for free, would they?
2) If store owners agree to try out the technology, will consumers actually use it?
3) If both of the above questions are true, will the store owners be willing to pay for such a service?

Fortunately, we will be able to test out our concept with very little risk. And there is only one way to find out what the answers to the quesions will be… actually begin!

Let us know what you think….