Scan for Change
In We First, Mainwaring notions that, “The future of profit is purpose.” Mainwaring points out that a large majority of consumers do in fact care about more than a product’s price. It’s not simply about purchasing the cheapest product. Many consumers are willing to pay more money to purchase products that are certifiably produced under Fair Trade conditions. A consumer can take small steps with their everyday purchasing habits to contribute to a purpose driven economy. One of those small steps could be making educated purchases.
What’s the problem?
Many people are busy and often don’t have time to research every product they purchase. Although the “towel study” in We First is encouraging, it’s improbable to think that every single product will be labeled so blatantly. Consumers may not even have the time to investigate the tag on every product they purchase. Many consumers have the desire to purchase ethically produced items, but they may need a convenient way to transform their desire into a productive action.
A Possible Solution
In The New Rules of Marketing & PR, Scott discusses QR codes. Essentially you can scan a “QR Code” (symbol similar to a bar code) with a smart phone camera.
Once a person scans a code, their phone will navigate to an online source (the possibilities of that online source are vast). With the presence of “dumb phones” fading, the power of QR codes rises. How does this connect to educated consumption?
Well, there are many smart phone applications that can be used to scan QR codes and basic product bar codes. If a person has a smart phone, they have the option to conveniently investigate the products they purchase. For example: ScanLife is a very versatile QR scanner application.
A few great things about ScanLife:
- Cross-platform (can be used on just about any kind of smart phone)
- Scans simple bar codes and QR codes
- Provides descriptive product information
- It’s FREE!
With one simple scan, a person can expand his or her knowledge on that product. At this point, it seems that the integration of Fair Trade certification and QR codes are still in development. However, it’s possible to discover the story behind a product instantly. If the background story isn’t documented, at least the consumer will be able to read customer reviews on the product.
There could be a more appropriate solution out there, but it couldn’t hurt for some consumers to give this a try. If ScanLife or other similar applications don’t change a consumers habits, at least there are strides in the right direction.
Sources:
http://www.psfk.com/2012/04/qr-code-fair-trade-cooperativ.html#!x13yw (Information on Fair Trade product involvement with QR codes)
http://www.scanlife.com/get-the-app (ScanLife information)
The News of Marketing & PR by David Meerma Scott
We First by Simon Mainwaring