Adding Mobile Barcodes To Vehicle Window Stickers

Back in August of 2007, I wrote a post detailing some thoughts I had regarding adding small barcodes to window stickers on vehicles for sale to enhance lead generation and to help potential buyers interact with the vehicles they’re considering.

Beyond the lead generation aspects for the dealer itself, I had some more thoughts of what else can be done using this new mobile interactivity medium.  By letting users scan a small barcode on the window sticker they can be provided almost any information the dealer chooses.  Photos, virtual tours, pricing information, dealer contact information, etc can all be included via WAP links embedded in a small 2-d barcode.   I began thinking what other unique information can be included in the barcode.

First, let’s look at what a 2d barcode is, and what the differences are between them.  A site called “Mobile-Tagging” does a great job of explaining how to use 2d barcodes for the benefit of advertising and “Physical World Connection.”  They explain it as…

…the next logical step in the development of internet technologies.  Objects of the real world will be connected with the internet.  By virtue of 2d barcodes, objects and advertising media, which has been very static so far, gain in interactivity and dynamic. The opportunities for the advertising industry which result from this effect are immense.

They go on to explain “private tagging” which is the use of barcodes for private industry and private marketing, i.e, mobile barcodes for the use of helping to sell vehicles.  If you could place a barcode on the sticker of each vehicle that was connected to a single WAP site for that specific vehicle, you could introduce several things.  The WAP site the user is connected to upon scanning the barcode with his or her camera phone could be a menu type site that gives the user several options as to what they would like to do.  Here’s an example;

What would you like to do?

1. See Detailed Photos of This Vehicle
2. See Detailed Pricing Information
3. Contact A Sales Associate
4. View the Live eBay auction For This Vehicle
5. View Detailed Standard & Options List

With the barcode only embedded with one single WAP link, the user can be introduced to a bevy of options to further interact with the vehicle.  If the vehicle is listed on eBay or any other auction-based site, the direct link to the auction can be integrated directly into the options menu, so the user can basically bid on the vehicle while standing right next to it on the dealers lot.  This could be huge for used-car dealers and private sellers.

Someone to needs to come out with a solid solution that makes it easy for dealers and other sales businesses to incorporate this kind of system.  If it’s easy to use and readily available at a reasonable price, I think dealers would flock towards it.