Scanbuy and GS1 B2C Alliance Launch North America Trusted Mobile Barcode Ecosystem Trial

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scanbuy, Inc. (www.scanbuy.com), the global leader in mobile barcode solutions, today announced that it has expanded its relationship with the GS1 B2C Alliance (www.gs1us.org/b2calliance), an organization that brings together leading product brands, technology providers and retailers to find effective solutions for providing accurate and authentic product information to mobile applications. The Alliance is being facilitated by the not-for-profit standards organizations GS1 US and GS1 Canada.

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The six month, non-exclusive agreement supports brands' and retailers' efforts to standardize extended product information that can be linked to a product's existing UPC/EAN barcodes. This will provide consumers with a method to get trustworthy and accurate information about a product by scanning the barcode with their mobile camera phones.

Brand owners will have a unique opportunity to provide consumers with data that they now expect in the mobile shopping channel, thereby building trust and loyalty, while also gaining valuable insights about consumers' mobile shopping behaviors.

Currently, consumers rely on public and commercial databases that may be outdated or incorrect since the data is typically sourced from multiple, unverified, unaccredited sources rather than directly from the brand owners.  The trial provides a framework for consumers to access authentic product information so that they can receive the most accurate and current information available for products.   This is critically important for information such as allergens in food products.

As part of the trial, the GS1 B2C Alliance will provide a standard interface for brand owners to input their content in a uniform way into a database and then enable access to this data for handsets through Scanbuy's ScanLife application which has millions of active users. Scanbuy will be responsible for operating the platform that resolves the scans and aggregating all relevant content that will be presented to the mobile user.

"The agreement with the GS1 B2C Alliance fills a huge void that is missing in the mobile barcode industry by providing a method for testing concepts for sharing product data and developing access to information collected from scans," said Mike Wehrs, CEO and President of Scanbuy. "This effort  signifies a commitment by both Scanbuy and the GS1 B2C Alliance to work together to move the industry forward and evaluate processes for sharing trusted data that is a crucial necessity for brands, retailers and consumers that utilize 1D mobile barcodes in their marketing plans."

Results from Scanbuy's Q2 2011 Trend Report indicate that about 400,000 unique UPC codes, or products, have been scanned by the ScanLife app in a single month.

"This trial will provide important information that will support the efforts of the B2C Alliance to develop and evaluate methods and processes for providing all consumers with access to authentic, authorized, accurate product data," said Bernie Hogan, Senior Vice President of Emerging Capabilities and Industries, GS1 US. "Scanbuy shares our vision toward the development of a global; standards based solution to the current poor state of digital product data currently available to mobile device users."

Companies interested in participating in the pilot should first join the B2C Alliance, which has no fees, by visiting www.gs1us.org/b2calliance. They would then enroll in the trial to begin the process of making their product data available to consumers.

About Scanbuy

Scanbuy is the leading global provider of mobile barcode solutions that use the camera phone as the link between the physical world and the digital world. The ScanLife solution consists of a multi-barcode reader application and interoperable Code Management Platform. The technology has been successfully deployed and supported by leading mobile providers and handset manufacturers in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Spain, Italy and Denmark. Media companies and marketers use the solution to create and manage measurable 2D barcode campaigns, extending brand engagement onto mobile devices.

Scanbuy has the largest and oldest patent portfolio of any company in the industry, with over 30 patents granted covering the entire solution. The company's investors include Motorola Mobility Ventures, Motorola Solutions Ventures, Hudson Ventures, and Masthead Venture Partners.

For more information on Scanbuy, please visit www.scanbuy.com or www.scanlife.com.

About the GS1 B2C Alliance:

Today, a lack of standardized data makes it difficult for shoppers to trust virtual product information. The B2C Alliance will help enable business to develop, adopt and implement consistent information standards. Leveraging the GS1 System of global standards will result in high quality of data at a lower cost, and a better shopping experience for customers.

GS1 US and GS1 Canada are bringing stakeholders together to find effective solutions for providing accurate and authentic product information—through the facilitation of workgroups, pilot project management, standards and technology expertise.

For more information on the GS1 B2C Alliance, please visit www.gs1us.org/b2calliance

Contact:

Kyle Loomis or Valerie Christopherson
Global Results Comms (GRC)
+1 949 608 0276 (ph)
[email protected]

SOURCE Scanbuy, Inc.