Scanbuy Launches France Operations as Mobile Barcodes Grow Around the World

PARIS, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scanbuy, Inc. (www.scanbuy.com), the global leader in mobile barcode solutions, today announced  that it has officially opened an office in France and has grown its partnership with Orange France (www.orange.com), one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. Scanbuy's technology powers Flashcode, a mobile barcode service offered by Orange France that allows marketers to create, edit, and track a rich set of analytics about their mobile barcodes through a carrier grade self-managed platform. Datamatrix and QR Codes generated via the Scanbuy system are fully interoperable with mobile operators' networks around the world and all open standard code readers on the market.

As part of the launch, Philippe Askienazy was named Country Manager in Paris. Philippe has more than 15 years of experience as a high-tech entrepreneur in mobile, health and food & beverage industries. He has also worked as a marketing and business development consultant and as a professor in interactive and mobile marketing at HEC Executive Education, HETIC and IGS for the past thirteen years.

"We're looking forward to growing Scanbuy's presence in France as part of our focus on international expansion for 2011," said Mike Wehrs, CEO and President of Scanbuy. "This move, along with our partnership announcement with Orange France, brings our best in class solution to France so any marketer can easily manage and track their 2D barcode campaigns. With a 1600% increase in traffic in 2010, and tens of millions of users equipped with barcode scanning apps,  this is a perfect time to open the technology to even more users who want to connect from the physical world."

Orange is already educating their subscribers about the technology with SMS blasts and other activities to drive download of the application. After the initial SMS blast, the number of downloads of the app has doubled and the number of scans and active users increased by 50%. A number of municipalities will also be giving people local information through 2D codes such as upcoming events, restaurant deals and more. The service includes a barcode application that supports the leading mobile operating systems as well as an app-less solution for camera phones called Scan & Send that reads all standard code formats including Datamatrix, QR Code, EZcode and UPC/EAN. The app will also provide a "Mobile Web Edition" feature that can be used to generate mobile formatted websites for businesses.  

"Mobile barcodes have grown substantially in popularity in France, and the opening of an office in this area is an exciting development," said Philippe Askienazy, Country Manager in France. "Brands and agencies are looking for a proven platform which Scanbuy can offer, along with a great deal of learning from other markets."

Scanbuy is headquartered in New York with offices in Mexico, Chile, Spain, Denmark, and China.  To get the free ScanLife application, go to www.getscanlife.com from your mobile browser.

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 Ventures, Hudson Ventures, Masthead Venture Partners, and Longworth Venture Partners.

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

SOURCE Scanbuy, Inc.