A new system called Glosh has been launched in the UK that involves cards printed with barcodes that connect users immediately to a website when swiped.
Users are supplied with a low-cost card reader which plugs into their PCs via the USB port, allowing them to use the coded cards to access specific pages online, such as promotional offers.
The cards can be printed, also at low-cost, onto paper, cardboard or plastic to support one-off campaigns, loyalty programmes or ongoing customer-relationship management activities.
“Glosh’s cards present a new dimension to advertising and promotion methods,” said Glosh director Colin Levene. “The system also encourages and increases traffic to chosen sites, improving their effectiveness.”
He added that there were many marketing applications for the system, such as couponing, consumer shopping membership clubs and other promotions.
Existing barcode readers have been developed for retail, costing from £50 upwards a unit, but the Glosh reader costs about £3 to produce and can be distributed as part of a giveaway to consumers. The codes themselves incur a negligible cost on top of normal printing.
The system was launched this week at the Technology for Marketing & Advertising exhibition at Earls Court, London, which runs on February 12 and 13. Details at www.t-f-m.co.uk.