shop\code

Les secrets du QR Code

En quelques années, le QR code a envahi notre quotidien. Ces pixels noirs et blancs s’affichent dorénavant partout : commerces, restaurants ou encore cimetières. Mais que disent-ils de notre civilisation numérisée ? Retour sur ces petites images codées.

En 2024 le QR Code fêtait ses 30 ans ! Conçu en 1994, "QR" signifie “quick response”, réponse rapide. Il permet de payer, de voyager ou bien encore de s’informer. Sa généralisation durant l’épidémie de Covid a marqué un tournant. Alors, symbole de progrès ou outil de servitude ? Le concepteur du QR code, l’ingénieur japonais Masahiro Hara, nous raconte la genèse de ces petites cellules carrées noires et blanches. Le sociologue spécialiste du numérique, Gabriele de Seta, analyse comment le QR Code est devenu le symbole d’une société data.

Der QR-Code und was dahinter steckt

Innerhalb weniger Jahre eroberte der QR-Code unseren Alltag. Die schwarzen und weißen Felder findet man mittlerweile überall: an Schaufenstern, in Restaurants und sogar auf Friedhöfen. Doch was sagen sie über unsere digitale Zivilisation aus?

Im Jahr 2024 feierte der QR-Code seinen 30. Geburtstag! Die Abkürzung QR steht für quick response (schnelle Antwort). Mithilfe der quadratischen Grafik kann man bezahlen, reisen und sich informieren. Zu einem erforderlichen Werkzeug wurde der QR-Code erst mit der Corona-Pandemie. Wofür steht er heute? Für Fortschritt oder Bevormundung? Sein Entwickler, der japanische Ingenieur Masahiro Hara, erzählt die Entstehungsgeschichte. Der Soziologe und Experte für digitale Medien Gabriele de Seta analysiert, wie der QR-Code zum Symbol einer datengetriebenen Gesellschaft geworden ist.

L'Oréal Product Digital Twin

The beauty industry has had to contend with major changes in consumer trends, like the increased need for transparency and personalized experiences. Discover how Capgemini’s data-driven approach helped L'Oréal achieve a customer experience makeover.

Balenciaga Wraps London Store in Pink Faux Fur to Celebrate its Le Cagole "It-bag"

ashion brand Balenciaga has transformed its Mount Street store in London, creating a maximalist look to launch its Le Cagole collection by blanketing the interior in bright pink faux fur.

To celebrate its popular Le Cagole bag, which references Balenciaga's maximalist It Bags of the past, and launch the line's collection of accessories and shoes, the entire interior of the store has been covered in fur.

The brand removed its accessories, ready-to-wear collections and permanent shelving from the store and installed temporary, metal fixtures – taken from the brand's previous projects and installations – throughout.

Balenciaga wrapped these temporary fixtures and displays in a fluffy, bright pink faux fur chosen for its maximalist look to tie with the Le Cagole bag identity.

"The line, which now includes multiple bags, wallet, and shoe styles, reinvents Balenciaga codes in the tradition of maximalist It Bags of another era," said Balenciaga.

"Le Cagole pop-ups are in keeping with this spirit, covered entirely with bright pink fake fur. Shelves, displays, floors, seating, and even racks in the open-plan kiosks are lined in pink."

The Le Cagole, which Vogue has dubbed the "new it-bag", was designed by Balenciaga's creative director Demna, who reinvented one of the house's most iconic bags – the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag. [...]

Walgreens Replaced Some Fridge Doors With Screens. And Some Shoppers Absolutely Hate It.

Walgreens and other retailers have swapped out the clear fridge and freezer doors at thousands of stores, instead adding opaque doors with iPad-like screens showing what's inside. Some customers really, really aren't into it.

The screens, which were developed by the startup Cooler Screens, use a system of motion sensors and cameras to display what's inside the doors – as well as product information, prices, deals and, most appealing to brands, paid advertisements. The tech provides stores with an additional revenue stream and a way to modernize the shopping experience. But for customers who just want to peek into the freezer and grab their ice cream, Walgreens risks angering them by solving a problem that shoppers didn't know existed.

The company wants to engage more people with advertising, but the reaction, so far, is annoyance and confusion.

"Why would Walgreens do this?" one befuddled shopper who encountered the screens posted on TikTok. "Who on God's green earth thought this was a good idea?" "The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas," said someone on Twitter. Another echoed: "@Walgreens NOBODY needs TV screen replacing doors in your cooler aisles.... Stop."

Retailers are eager to add new experiences to their physical stores. But many consumers aren’t eager to change their habits – and they certainly aren't used to watching freezer-display ads. "People really appreciate their routines. They're not always seeking excitement," said Julio Sevilla, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Georgia who studies consumer behavior. Digital screens, he said, can add uncertainty and physical barriers to a simple and literally transparent process: reaching into a glass fridge.

Sevilla doesn't believe consumers are looking for novelty when they visit a grocery store: "We all love to get into a supermarket and know exactly what we're getting. I know also exactly where things are. For this type of utilitarian-related setting, people like their certainty and simplicity."

Big-name stores

Still, Walgreens and Cooler Screens are pushing forward. Walgreens began testing the screens in 2018 and has since expanded the pilot to a couple thousand locations nationwide.

Several other major retailers are launching their own tests with Cooler Screens, including Kroger, CVS, GetGo convenience stores and Chevron gas stations. "I hope that we will one day be able to expand across all parts of the store," said Cooler Screens co-founder and CEO Arsen Avakian in an interview with CNN Business. Currently the startup has about 10,000 screens in stores, which are viewed by approximately 90 million consumers monthly, according to the company. Avakian said the company aims to bring its digital displays to a broad range of retailers including those in beauty, consumer electronics and home improvement.

A Walgreens spokesperson said in an email that Walgreens is "committed to exploring digital innovation in [an] effort to deliver new and different experiences for our customers." The spokesperson said the screens add value because they give customers relevant product information to help them decide what to buy, and that Walgreens is evaluating the pilot to decide whether to expand further.

'Moment of truth'

Though not all of Walgreens' customers are fans, Cooler Screens' concept has attracted prominent brands like Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, Kraft Heinz and Monster. It's raised more than $100 million from backers including Microsoft and Verizon.

Cooler Screens CEO Avakian said he developed the concept after watching in-store customers whip out their phones to find product information and reviews. Traditionally, in-store advertising has been limited to options like signs, promotions and prominent placement on shelves. But Cooler Screens' targeted digital ads deliver at the "moment of truth," Avakian said, right as consumers decide which product to pull out of the fridge.

Brands can place ads spread over multiple freezers, ones that display products' nutritional labels, or ads triggered by weather or time of day. An ice cream company might want to run ads when it's hot outside, while a coffee brand could hit the morning rush.

The setup aims to help stores add high-margin advertising revenue to offset their core low-margin retail business. Companies pay Cooler Screens to run screen ads and retailers get a cut. "There's a big movement in retail right now to create what's called a 'retail media network,' which taps into all the ways brands can interact with that retailer digitally," said Chris Walton, a former vice president at Target who runs the retail blog Omni Talk.

'This wasn't a problem'

Cooler Screens says 90% of consumers it has surveyed prefer its digital screens to traditional fridges, and that the displays provide sales lifts for stores. (Walgreens did not comment on that.)

But beyond the confused social media posts, the tech has also attracted misinformation and conspiracy theories. Politifact last month debunked a viral Facebook video that claimed "Walgreens refrigerators are scanning shoppers' hands and foreheads for 'the mark of the beast.' " Avakian insists the tech is "identity-blind" and protects consumers' privacy. The freezers have front-facing sensors used to anonymously track shoppers interacting with the platform, while internally facing cameras track product inventory.

Some customers have expressed frustration with the experience. People aren't sure whether to tap the screens or talk to them. The items on display don't always match up with what's inside because products are out of stock. Henry Brewer, who recently encountered one of the digital screens at a Walgreens in Chicago, said the technology felt "very in-your-face" and "intrusive." "We see advertisements literally everywhere and now I have to go see it on the cooler?" he said. "It doesn't just seem necessary, and I think it's a turnoff to the consumer when this wasn't a problem."

To Avakian, it's simply an expected growing pain. Cooler Screens plans to educate customers about the digital displays and launch features like voice recognition, so shoppers can ask about prices or item locations. "This is the future of retail and shopping," Avakian said.

[See full video on edition.cnn.com]

M&M's Celebrates Iconic Albums in Packaging Play Following Controversial Rebrand

[...] M&M's is putting a new inclusivity-minded brand platform into action with the limited-edition packaging celebrating a variety of famous musicians. The M&M's Album Art offerings pay homage to Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour," H.E.R.'s self-titled album, Rosalía's "El Mal Querer" and David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" and are available across the milk chocolate, peanut, peanut butter and minis variants online and at select retailers nationwide. On each pack, an M&M's candy mascot takes the place of the musician in the album art, and the products come with a QR code that can be scanned to unlock a special "music experience.”

The four artists encompass a range of styles, from Rosalía's Flamenco-influenced pop to H.E.R.'s R&B balladry and the glam rock of Bowie's Aladdin Sane period. Bowie, who passed away in 2016, is in some ways the outlier of the group — the other three have broken into the mainstream fairly recently — and could be a bid to court older generations nostalgic for the classic-rock era. Otherwise, the musicians appear more tailored to the Gen Z and millennial set, while still targeting fans from different backgrounds.

A packaging play that aligns M&M's with diverse cultural icons serves as an early indicator of what the candy label's renewed approach to marketing could look like. M&M's last week revealed it was overhauling its branding to firm up commitments to inclusivity and foster a stronger sense of belonging among consumers. The changes, executed in partnership with agency BBDO New York and design shop Jones Knowles Ritchie, feature a stronger emphasis on the ampersand of M&M's as a symbol of connection and a makeover for its candies mascots.

The green M&M, previously known for her flirty demeanor, has swapped out high-heeled boots for plain tennis sneakers, while other characters have been refined to better draw out their "nuanced personalities," including an orange variant that experiences anxiety. As part of the push, M&M's has pledged to increase a sense of belonging for 10 million people globally by 2025.

The news inspired backlash both from right-leaning figures irked by the creative's gender-inclusive bent and social media users more generally befuddled by concepts like candies who struggle with mental health.

Cadbury Hides Creme Eggs Worth Thousands – But There’s a Twist

In a playful twist on its iconic advertising slogan ‘how do you eat yours?’ Cadbury and VCCP London have devised a new campaign for the brand's annual Easter egg hunt. This year, Cadbury has hidden rare half white and half milk chocolate eggs which, if found, could win you up to £10k…only if you don’t eat them.

'How Not To Eat Yours', launched in the UK and Ireland, features two short films. In the first, viewers see a man running a relaxing bath at the end of the day. As he gets ready to have a soak and enjoy his Creme Egg, he realizes that he has chosen one of the limited-edition treats. To his dismay, his partner asks him not to eat it in case it's worth something and viewers are left wondering if he could resist the temptation or not.  

The second ad follows a similar suit but shows a couple tucked up in bed. One of them has discovered a winning egg and attempts to fight the urge to consume the sweet snack.

The Return of the Automat

Quick-service food arrived in America in 1902 when Horn & Hardart introduced the automat—a dining room lined by coin-fed vending machines dispensing tuna sandwiches, chicken pot pies, and mac-and-cheese that sat behind little glass doors.

The automat’s days became numbered when the likes of McDonald’s and KFC hit the scene, and the last of Horn & Hardart’s 40 New York City locations closed in 1991. In 2021, however, the automat re-appeared at the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City. Called the Automat Kitchen, this version came to market aided by digital technology.

The concept got its start in 2005 when a Florida-based tax attorney named Joseph Scutellaro, a Hoboken native whose grandmother took him to Horn & Hardart as a kid, hooked up with some tech executives at Disney. They created a system that would allow hungry folks to access the Automat Kitchen’s menu on touchscreens or their phones. The customer gets a text when the order is ready that says, “Head to box number 16 and enter passcode 132 or reply ‘open’ to this message to retrieve it.”

“The world is a perfect place right now for this concept,” said David Hinkle, a partner at The Outlet Resource Group who is helping Automat with its expansion. “One thing we’re looking closely at are environments such as hospitals and airports. When your plane lands, you can order your lunch, pick it up when get off, and go directly to your connecting flight.”

“We didn’t launch the business in 2005 because the touchscreen store menus cost $5,000 a pop back then. Now they’re $400, and that allows us to run the front-of-house without employees,” Scutellaro said. “We also streamlined the back-of-the-house operations in a way that food can be turned around in five to 10 minutes.”

In deference to the foodie culture, Scutellaro and his partners hired chef Phillip Speer to design the menu. In 2019, his Comedor restaurant in Austin was named one of the best new restaurants in America by The Robb Report and “Austin Restaurant of the Year” by Texas Monthly. Items include old favorites like chicken pot pie, but also an Atlantic salmon entree and a frito pie burrito that never made it behind the doors at Horn & Hardart.

Scutellaro recently signed a letter of intent for a second location with an entertainment property in Florida and is looking to franchise Automat Kitchen.

Self-Service Ramen Convenience Store with the best Ramen in the world. Chance to taste Ramen with various toppings according to your taste! See you in Bangkok: https://goo.gl/maps/1GfhA4J43y8sWZjh7

Zim & Zou's Odyssey in Space Installation for Hermes Japan Is a Colorful Journey

French art studio Zim & Zou imagines the theme of “Odyssey” for Hermès‘ window display in Japan in their latest venture. The window and installation don blue and pink tones with the latter as a nod to the pink-themed Isetan department store in Shinjuku.

Titled Journey of a Lifetime, the installation sees an astronaut-like main character piloting through other-worldly planets surrounded by aliens, which translates to people as protagonists of their lives exploring their odysseys. The complex spaceship cockpit with joysticks and panels which the character navigates is said to be a metaphor for life choices humans make. Other meaningful details of the paper-sculpted artwork include an opened safe which symbolizes setting free one’s treasures and demonstrates materials’ weightlessness.

From now to mid-February 2022, Zim & Zou’s Journey of a Lifetime window installation will be on display at the Hermès store in Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo.

McDonald’s China Adds Exercise Bikes to Its Restaurants

Thanks to a now-viral TikTok video posted by user Cris13yu, we are now learning that McDonald’s China has added exercise bikes to some of its locations.

Undoubtedly a response to the fast-food chain being associated with an unhealthy diet, the workout equipment is an interesting addition targeted at switching ideas associated with the brand in the region. The single-seat options are positioned to face a wall with an extended seat complete with pedals an and attached chest level table.

Amassing more than 32 million views and thousands of comments, viewers offered their take on the innovative addition to restaurants. In the video, a woman is seen enjoying a burger and soft drink while peddling away on the bike seat.

Check out the exercise bikes found at select McDonald’s China locations below.

McDonald’s Explains Exercise Bikes Found in Its China Restaurants

Shortly after McDonald’s China’s exercise bikes took over social media, the fast-food chain has offered an explanation for the interesting additions to restaurants in the region.

Along with confirming that the exercise bikes are real, McDonald’s reveals that the “Green Charging Bikes” are part of its ongoing sustainability focus.

“The Green Charging Bike is an in-restaurant experience, currently being tested at two locations in China, that is designed to inspire more green behaviors as customers enjoy their McDonald’s favorites. The bike generates electricity to power everyday devices like mobile phones and is a part of McDonald’s China’s ‘Upcycle for Good’ project, an initiative focused on creating products with plastic parts from recycled materials,” says McDonald’s

The first set of Green Charging Bikes were introduced at McDonald’s Jieyang Wanda Restaurant in Guangdong Province opened in September 2021. While the New Hualian Restaurant location in Shanghai is the latest to test the unique sustainability feature. McDonald’s also notes that it will be monitoring customer feedback to consider expanding the Green Charging Bikes to other cities throughout China.

Is Mobile Enhancing The In-store Shopping Experience?

A new survey finds that in-store shoppers continue to showroom, or use their mobile phones to check competitor prices, but they’re also using their devices for purposes beneficial to the store they’re in.

According to the survey from Airship taken in September, the most popular shopping use of mobile phones inside stores among U.S. consumers were:

70% Using loyalty cards or coupons stored on the phone; 68% Visiting the retailer’s website; 68% Comparing prices (e.g., via Google, Amazon); 64% Using the retailer’s app; 63% Reading users’ reviews; 61% Buying online and picking up in store, click & collect or curbside; 55% Contactless payment at point of sales/checkout (Apple Pay, Google Wallet, etc.); 53% Scanning QR codes or smart shelf tags for more information.

The findings come as smartphone use for shopping received a boost during the pandemic.

By 2025, eMarketer now expects m-commerce, or making purchases via mobile devices, will account for 10.4% of all retail sales in the U.S. – more than two and a half times the pre-pandemic share. Beyond restrictions on in-store shopping during much of the pandemic, the growth in smartphones as a shopping tool is expected to be supported by new technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and 5G, seamless one-touch checkouts, social commerce, livestreaming and influencer direct selling.

At the store level, pre-pandemic surveys and studies were already showing mobile increasingly influencing the shopper journey.

A 2019 survey from RetailMeNot found 69% of U.S. consumers would rather review a product on their phone than speak with an in-store associate and 53% preferring to seek out discounts and offers on their phones instead of consulting an associate.

The RetailMeNot survey further found nearly half had an app that collects deals and discounts across retailers on their smartphone and 69% indicated that receiving a personalized offer on their phone that they could use in-store would make them more likely to visit a physical retail location.

London Underground Takeover

PlayStation5's takeover of the London Underground to mark its launch in the UK has been crowned campaign of the year at The Drum Awards for Out of Home 2021.

As the two biggest gaming consoles on the market, Xbox and PlayStation enjoy a fierce rivalry when it comes to new product launches. The stakes are high: the early winner is almost certain to win the battle for the next generation of gamers. The successfully launch the PS5, MediaCom needed to create a campaign that would get people talking, across the UK and beyond.

With a takeover of the world-famous London Underground symbol, PlayStation’s equally recognizable brand iconography took centre stage, featuring renamed tube stations that paid homage to well-loved games and characters.

Now already multi-award winning, this campaign earnt nine million organic impressions, as well as nearly a billion news coverage impressions around the world, and over 100 million impressions on Twitter.  It was the best social media engagement ever achieved by a TfL commercial partnership and even garnered a public commendation from the Mayor of London on his Instagram account.

The creative concept and effective execution impressed the judges. One said, “When I first saw this execution, I was blow away. And to me it made so much sense – it’s a moment that feels serendipitous. Four corners of Oxford Circus, four iconic symbols that represent PlayStation.” The jury described it as ‘cultural moment which had many in the industry in awe’, and ‘wild and unexpected’.

Secret Santa Postal Service

Cadbury is acting as a Christmas chocolate courier service for sweet-toothed chocaholics with the return of its Secret Santa Postal Service, an opportunity for loved ones to send chocolate anonymously.

The free postal service will tour London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. This year Liverpool and Manchester City football clubs will also get in on the act, with footballers John Barnes and Paul Dickov ensuring no fan need go without.

Developed by VCCP London, the campaign nods to the confectioner’s sharing roots with a distinctive purple takeover of Royal Mail post boxes and Secret Santa masks to permit the furtive dissemination of Dairy Milk bars.

Working in partnership with foodbank operator The Trussell Trust, Cadbury has pledged to donate a chocolate bar for every Secret Santa sent.

Emma Paxton, senior brand manager for Cadbury Christmas, said: “With our glass and a half spirit, we’re particularly proud to be renewing our partnership with The Trussell Trust to help them with their important mission to fight poverty.”

An online giveaway will complement the real-world action, with 11,000 bars up for grabs on social media, promoted via a partnership with Bauer Radio, LadBible and The Times.

A Secret Santa above the line campaign will also run across TV, VOD, cinema, out-of-home (OOH), digital out-of-home (DOOH), radio and social media, highlighting the fact that it is simple pleasures that often bring the greatest reward.

A Candy Dispensing Bed

Skittles and Simmons Bedding Company have formed an unlikely alliance, revealing a “Simmons Sweet Sleep Bed” that combines a candy-dispensing unit with a murphy bed.

The yellow candy-dispensing machine is fitted with 5 dispenser tubes with Simmons branding up top and Skittles graphics below the shelving. A hidden twin-sized Simmons bedding unit slides out from behind the shelf, serving as a convenient place to nap after the sugar rush wears out. Though the 1 of 1 Sweet Sleep Bed may prove to be the ultimate test of self-control, the novelty offering is selling for just $1.50, the average price of a pack of Skittles.

The Simmons Sweet Sleep Bed will be available at Simmon’s dedicated website on a first come first serve basis on December 13, 1 p.m. ET.

Superette cannabis dispensary in Toronto resembles a retro grocery store

Bold graphics and a checkerboard floor feature in a Superette marijuana shop in Toronto, which was created by the brand's in-house team in collaboration with Canadian designer Emily Robin.

Based in Toronto, Superette was founded in 2019 by entrepreneurs Mimi Lam and Drummond Munro. The company now operates six brick-and-mortar shops in Canada and plans to open locations in the United States next year.

Aiming to make "buying cannabis as enjoyable as consuming it", the company has prioritised creating products and retail environments that have a nostalgic feel. Bodegas, pharmacies and hardware stores are among the influences.

The retailer's latest shop is located at Stackt Market, a shopping complex made of shipping containers in downtown Toronto. Billed as the company's first "SuperMarket", the new 800-square-metre space has a look that mimics a classic grocery store.

It was designed by an in-house team in collaboration with British Columbia's Emily Robin Design.

"SuperMarket follows the blueprint of a quintessential neighbourhood grocery store, from the interior design and customer flow to merchandising and product assortment," the team said.

Wide, glazed doors lead into an entryway stocked with plastic shopping baskets. A tall partition separates the front vestibule from the rest of the store – a legal requirement for a marijuana dispensary.

The shop is awash in vibrant colours and graphic elements with a pop art aesthetic. Underfoot is a red-and-white, vinyl checkerboard floor.

Merchandise is displayed on simple shelves that one might find in a convenience store. In the centre of the space is a U-shaped checkout counter, and in the rear is a row of vintage refrigerators.

In a faux-produce section, products are mixed in with novelty fruit. The store also features a rocket-shaped gumball machine and a Wheel of Fortune-style Super Spin game.

Rather than offering a menu like in many cannabis stores, the shop encourages customers to browse around.

"There is no menu at SuperMarket," the team said. "Instead, customers shop with their eyes as they would in a traditional supermarket, with guidance from a budtender should they need it."

All types of cannabis products are sold at the shop, including flowers, pre-rolls, vapes and edibles. The store also offers apparel and accessories, such as hats, stash jars, pipes and grinders.

Merchandise is displayed alongside custom props – like Super O's and Tomato Soup – that are playful takes on household staples like boxed cereal and canned soup.

The company wants to demonstrate how cannabis can be sold as an everyday product.

"Superette's whole retail vision is about applying traditional retail principles to cannabis retail – where it's not being done – and merchandising cannabis like you would any other consumer packaged goods," the team said.