![]() ![]() Consumers want not only to be able to purchase goods and services but to do so conveniently and quickly – particularly through smartphone apps and machine-readable codes. For example, there are reports that QR code frauds and scams are on the rise – where scammers have been able to steal people’s money by replacing legitimate codes with dodgy ones.Īs QR codes can be created by just about anyone with access to the internet, there have been calls to tighten the regulations around how the codes are generated, and to increase the penalties for fraud.Īlipay and WeChat have also responded to the threat by tightening security over their system-generated QR codes, and by informing consumers if a code is likely to be risky.ĭigital marketers should not overlook the importance of preferred payment methods in China. The Metro Daduhui app has been boosting metro user experience since its debut in January. The convenience will extend to all turnstiles by the end of this year, as is planned by Shanghai Metro operators. However, some vendors in country areas are now making the shift from cash to mobile payments, recognising that it can provide them with greater security (such as protection against cash theft)Ĭashless payments are not without risk either though. To date, more than half of Shanghai Metro’s turnstiles support QR code payments. ![]() While cashless payments are rapidly increasing in towns and cities, in rural areas they have sometimes been viewed with suspicion. It seems that much in the way China has largely bypassed desktop internet in favour of mobile, it has also mostly gone past plastic cards in favour of cashless mobile payments. QR codes are a major contributor in the drive to a cashless economy – something China is leading the way in, and that has been fuelled by high smartphone ownership and mobile internet. There are even some reports of QR codes being used by street beggars to secure donations! Stories are also surfacing of codes being used at weddings to collect cash gifts for the happy couple – in place of the traditional practice of collecting lucky red envelopes. QR codes in China are used to make instant payments in physical and online stores, as well as for paying for cab rides, public transport, hospital visits, bike hire and meals, and for storing information on brands, providing access to discount coupons and plenty more. Some people might consider that the use of QR codes never really took off in the west, but not so in China, where they are used just about everywhere you look, for far more than just marketing. A few years ago, marketers started using them in a variety of ways to engage audiences. They were initially created in the 1990s in Japan, to track vehicles during manufacture and assembly. QR codes, those squiggly black-and-white squares that are encoded with information, are hardly a new thing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |