Insights / Retail operations and store technology
How a QR product finder works without an app
Few shoppers will install an app to find one product in one visit. A QR code avoids the install: the phone camera opens a web page that already knows which store it is in. Here is how the flow works, and the decisions it leaves for the retailer.
The flow
- The shopper scans a code in the store. The code carries the store, so nobody has to choose it from a list
- A page opens in the phone's browser, with no install and no account
- They ask for a product by typing or, where the browser supports it, by voice
- The finder matches the product and variant, reads its location and stock for that store, and shows the aisle and bay
- If it can't find the product or doesn't know the location, it says so and points to staff
Where the codes go
Entrances and aisle ends are the obvious places, along with anywhere staff get asked the most. Each code should be specific to its store. A code used across stores will send shoppers to the wrong aisles, so print runs need managing like any other store signage.
What it should and shouldn't touch
A finder only needs to read catalogue, location and stock data. It has no reason to change prices, stock or orders, and keeping it read-only makes the security review far simpler. It also doesn't need the shopper's name or account. In our demo, a scan opens a short-lived session and the desktop screen can follow each lookup step, which is useful for showing a store team how it works.
How to tell if it's working
- Spot-check answers against the shelf, and count wrong aisles as failures
- Track questions with no answer, since they show what's missing or how shoppers name things
- Ask staff whether the questions they get have changed
- Run one store first, with the measure agreed before it starts