The Barcode is 60 Years Old

Barcodes are a standard application on books today. BBC News reports that October 7 is the 60th anniversary of the barcode patent, filed in the US in 1952.

However the distinctive black-and-white stripes did not make their first appearance in an American shop until 1974 - because the laser technology used to read them did not exist.

[Standardization entity] GS1 UK (@GS1UK) says the QR code was not a threat to the traditional linear barcode.

A QR (Quick Response) code is an image made up of dots, which can contain more data than a barcode.

"They have different purposes - the barcode on the side of a tin of beans is for point-of-sale scanning. It ensures the consumer is charged the right amount and updates stock records," said Gary Lynch, chief executive of GS1 UK.

"The QR code's main purpose is to take the person that scans it to an extended multi media environment. Technically you can combine the two but nobody's asking for that right now."

The first item to be scanned by a barcode was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio supermarket in 1974.

Read this in full.

How a QR Code Works

Internet Connectivity Affects Shopping Habits

New findings from a Nielsen (@NielsenWire) online survey of respondents from 56 countries:

·         Nearly half (49%) have purchased a product online.

·         46% have used social media to help make purchase decisions.

·         37% purchase from online-only stores most frequently.

·         1 in 5 global respondents plan to purchase electronic books and digital newspaper and magazine subscriptions in the next 3 to 6 months.

·         The online purchase intent of hard copy books and physical subscriptions declined from 44% in 2010 to 33% this year.

·         Categories with growing global purchase intent include computer/game software (+18%), entertainment tickets (+10%), computer/game hardware (+6%), video/music production (+5%), cars/motorcycle and accessories (+4%) and apparel/accessories/shoes/jewelry (+1%).

·         More than one-quarter (26%) of global respondents plan to purchase food and beverage products via an online connected device in the next 3 to 6 months — a jump from 18% reported in 2010.

Also see the Infographic “The Pre-Purchase Habits of Shoppers” and our previous blogposts, “Why Shopping Will Never Be the Same” and “Tablets Change Shopping, Media Habits.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help digitally publish and market your content.

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Infographic: The 2012 CMO's Guide to The Social Landscape

CMO.com’s (@CMO_com) latest Guide to The Social Landscape (interactive version; pdf version), developed by 97th Floor (@chrisbennett), offers helpful analyses in the categories of
          • Customer Communication
          • Brand Exposure
          • Traffic to Your Site
          • and SEO
for the social media marketing sites of
          • Twitter
          • Facebook
          • StumbleUpon
          • Google+
          • Pinterest
          • Reddit
          • YouTube
          • SlideShare
          • Delicious
          • Digg
          • Flickr
          • LinkedIn
          • Quora
          • and Instagram.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you leverage the power of social media marketing for your branded content.

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Infographic: Average US Neighborhood

The above Infographic, based on research from the My Hope with Billy Graham (@BGEA) outreach campaign, depicts statistics of the average American neighborhood of 100 people.

How might this information shape your publishing agenda? Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you.

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Infographic: The 36 Rules of Social Media

The above Infographic (enlarge it) is by Fast Company (@FastCompany) in its September 2012 issue (#therules). Submit your own rule.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you strategize and execute social media marketing for your brand.

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

In 3 Words: What Does Discoverability Mean to You?

Above poster by Digital Book World (@DigiBookWorld).

Also see our previous blogposts, “Discoverability in the Digital Age: Personal Recommendations and Bookstores” and “Sites That Facilitate Book Discovery.”

Stay current with publishing news when you bookmark and use daily our (@smrsault) SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Book Discovery Sites tab.

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.