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Over 101 million people, and 1 in 4 US households, tuned in on Sunday to watch the LA Rams clinch the Super Bowl LVI. As one of the biggest sporting and cultural events of the year, it’s also a huge opportunity for businesses to reach a massive mainstream audience.
And they are willing to pay an eye watering amount to do so, with a price tag of $7 million per 30 second advertising spot during half-time – either side of the who’s who collection of vintage rappers wowing the crowd. The adverts themselves are now analyzed almost as deeply as the game – and give a good indication of the hottest consumer trends.
Two of the most impactful and well received Super Bowl ads this year – from Sam’s Club and Coinbase – had a common thread that you might not have expected: scanning with smartphones. But it’s not really surprising when you think about it.
Software-based scanning is firmly in the mainstream
So what did the ads in question show? This Self-Scanning app advert from US retail warehouse chain Sam’s Club’s features actor Kevin Hart enjoying a line-free, VIP shopping experience thanks to the Sam’s Club App.
Self-Scanning or self-scanning shopping, where consumers can scan the barcodes on items on apps using their personal smartphones as they move through a store, then simply pay through the same app and leave, has seen a huge global spike in adoption by leading retailers, notably grocers and convenience stores.
It’s a win-win technology – fast and convenient for shoppers, while bringing a host of benefits to retailers from busting lines to freeing up employees’ time – here are just a few examples of the best of Self-Scanning.
A different type of Crypto crash
The second advert also made a big splash. Cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase presented a 1-minute long retro-styled bouncing QR-code, set to the song ‘Money’, which once scanned sent someone to a promo offer sign-up page.
It proved so popular it actually crashed their app with traffic. The interesting point here is that Coinbase were so confident that the global audience (of all ages) were automatically conditioned to see and scan a QR code on the smartphone to access offers, see information or place orders. They staked $14m on the minute long ad. And it paid off handsomely.
It’s clear that scanning to capture data or access information has become second nature – and smart devices are the tool of choice to do so in our personal lives or workplace. Chances are, you’ve probably scanned something yourself recently on your smartphone without giving it a thought.
At Scandit, we process tens of billions of scans per year via our Smart Data Capture platform to transform customer and employee experiences.
From consumers all over the world who use Scandit-powered apps everyday to skip queues or access product information. To the millions of workers who rely on our Smart Data Capture technology every shift to power essential processes, from inventory management to order picking to parcel delivery.
Scanning has gotten smarter
It’s an increasing digital world. We are surrounded by data, physical and online experiences are becoming increasingly intertwined for consumers, while businesses are striving to empower workers with automated and digitalized processes.
There is not only need to capture this data quickly and accurately though, it must also be used it to do things such as:
- Power personalized and experiential shopping journeys
- Launch new and differentiated services for customers
- Provide real-time information or new capabilities for workers
- Boost visibility across supply chains or inventory management systems
Traditional data capture tools used today, such as stationary or dedicated scanning devices, or the basic scanning capabilities in smartphone’s built-in cameras, have been unable to meet these evolving requirements.
It’s time for Smart Data Capture
A different and smarter approach was needed.
Scandit Smart Data Capture enables users to interact with physical items by capturing data from barcodes, text, IDs and objects to automate end-to-end processes and provide actionable insights. Watch below to see it in action:
With Scandit, any smart device, like smartphones, drones, digital eyewear and robots, can scan up to 3x faster than dedicated scanners.
Now you can simply point a smart device at an object, capture data accurately and do all kinds of intelligent things at speed – track it, learn from it, get instructions, check IDs and expiration dates, find similar products, and so much more.
So let’s look again at those examples from the Super Bowl adverts:.
- Coinbase’s gamified bouncing QR-code had people off their sofa trying to scan it – but with top performance software-based scanning such as Scandit Smart Data Capture, any app on any smartphone model can locate and scan reliably from distance, at angles, with screen glare and more. Performance is king!
- Delivering a VIP experience with Self-Scanning is a great way to engage customers with the right UX, but the app must scan every item, first time, every time or go back to the till. While value added capabilities, such as displaying product information (nutrition scores, alternative sizes or colors etc) via AR-overlays can further differentiate experiences and keep people coming back.
Scandit gives superpowers to people, workers and businesses with unmatched speed, accuracy and intelligence. And if the reaction to the Super Bowl broadcast adverts is an indicator, they are keen to unleash them.
Check out our CEO Samuel Mueller’s recent post where he talks further about how we are helping enterprises and people navigate the brave new world of smart data capture.
