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USPS marries mobile with mail via QR code promotion

The United States Postal Service has rolled out a mobile bar code promotion that provides business with a 3 percent discount on products.

The U.S. Postal Service teamed up with Scanbuy to power the mobile initiative. The promotion will run from July 1 through August 31.

?This is the first time the USPS has ever used the incentive for customers to use 2D bar codes,? said Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, New York.

?As a global provider of mobile bar code solutions, Scanbuy provides its partners, such as the USPS, the best practices of using this technology.

Mobile bar codes
The USPS Mobile bar code promotion provides business with a three percent discount on Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters and flats that include a mobile bar code.

When consumers scan the bar codes, they can view exclusive offers, video demos and social networking.

According to the company, the mobile campaign was designed to build awareness around how mobile bar codes can make any piece of mail more engaging and can be used as a trackable marketing tool.

?Mobile bar codes enable interactivity,? Mr. Wehrs said. ?They are a way of using nothing more than ink and are inexpensive to produce.

?The user can gain an interactive experience after scanning the mobile bar code,? he said. ?Mobile bar codes change an experience that was once passive to interactive.?

You?ve got mail
The promotion will run from July 1 through August 31.

Consumers can learn more about the USPS mobile bar code promotion by visiting the company?s Web site.

Additionally, users can register for a ScanLife account and receive a 10 percent discountby entering ?SummerMail? in the invitation code field.

?We are reaching out to the mobile marketing industry voices to get the word out,? Mr. Wehrs said.

?We are also mailing information about the promotion to our contact database and working with our partners,? he said.