A Sunny Take on the Ubiquitous QR Code in Korea

The effectiveness (along with the proper use) of QR codes is debatable, but we found one retailer that is making brilliant use of them.

Korean mass retailer E-Mart suffered from weak mid-day sales. Inspired by this very specific business problem, they created sculptures that—only during the sunniest part of the day—enabled a QR code shadow that could be scanned for discounts and coupons.

While the QR code took shoppers to the E-Mart app and encouraged online purchases, the E-mart malls saw an increase in traffic as well.

Called the “Sunny Sale,” E-Mart saw a 25 percent increase in lunchtime sales and significant media coverage.

On top of that, they saw a 45% increase in membership and gave shoppers an incentive to experience the convenience of shopping for household products online.

All of this means that a Quick Response code could also equate to longer-term business change.

Contributed by Integer Asia-Pacific