Barcodes are generally used by companies in activities and operations that involve inventory management. The system is used for tracking stored and purchased products. Undoubtedly, its uses and importance are acknowledged far and wide across different industries. However, did you know that barcodes can be used for more than just grocery labelling?
For starters, barcodes have now been adopted by digital industries. A lot of companies now use what we call online barcode labels. This has greatly amplified the potential use of the barcoding system. It definitely has come a long way from merely labelling products in stores.
Here are other interesting ways barcodes are used today.
Online Tickets
Now that theatres and cinemas have gone digital too, they have incorporated the barcoding system in their industry. This is applied in online tickets, commonly referred to as e-tickets, that they sell. This method involves the use of barcode labels as digital fingerprints that are unique to each ticket. Barcodes are used in a way wherein it has to be verified before one can enter the grounds.
However, this is not limited to being used in theatres. Event coordinators have also used this method in tickets for concerts and festivals. In a way, it’s also a reliable resource that can track and count the number of sales generated from each show, concert, movie, or anything of the sort.
Advertising
Naturally, barcode labels contain a distinct characterisation that can be used in various ways. The barcoding system has also infiltrated the advertising and marketing realm. In some countries, 2D barcodes are used to store a unique resource locator that leads to a certain website or page.
With a click, you’re redirected to the page of a company. Although it hasn’t been widely used in countries all over the world, there’s no denying that the use of barcode labels in this way is unconventional and interesting in all aspects.
Social Media
It didn’t go unnoticed that some social media platforms have also incorporated the use of barcode labels in their applications. Barcodes are distributed to users as a unique identification of their account. These barcodes are used for scanning in order to find a certain user account. Currently, we have the popular platforms Snapchat and Instagram as the primary users of this type of barcoding on record.
Digital Applications
The use of barcode in various app building ideas has also been prevalent. For one, a certain app that keeps track of an individual’s dietary intake has incorporated the use of these labels in their application.
Since data and information about the product are mainly stored inside a barcode, they have maximised the use of this information by keeping tabs of the calorie and fat content of an item. Not only is this a creative way of using a barcode label, but also a helpful means to people opting for a healthy lifestyle.
There’s no doubt that the barcoding system has come a long way since its introduction, and it’s expected to evolve even further. With so much potential, one can’t help but wonder what else can it be used for.
