Mobile Ticketing Coupons and Barcodes

One of the promises of the mobile web was the possibility of being able to integrate the internet with the real world. One of the ways to accomplish this task is through the use of barcodes. The idea is that you take a picture of the barcode with your camera phone and you're then delivered to a mobile web site. This could effectively make anything - whether a poster, an ad, or an object - a virtual part of the world wide web. Although this technology has been available for years, it's only now with the birth of the smartphone, or more precisely, the next-gen smartphone, that the potential for this type of integration may finally be realized.

The Cellfire 3.0 version, which the company announces tomorrow, is very powerful, if you're a dedicated couponer. The application works in tandem with the Web site to let you browser offers in your area from a full directory and save them where they are easily accessible for redeeming in-store.

Ice Cream chain Cold Stone Creamery has teamed up with mobile marketing company 8coupons.com for a mobile couponing CRM campaign.

Webster says he's seen a number of productivity applications, such as a shopping service that scans bar codes with the phone's camera and supplies comparative pricing,

Still, the research firm suggests that advertisers look at the kinds of things people are using their phones for in addition to talking. Some 42% are text-messaging, nearly a quarter are exchanging picture-messages, and 15% are using mobile e-mail.