Mobile commerce as a whole is still in its infancy, with a long way to go before most people feel comfortable with the idea. To advance the technology, a group of top brands met with industry associations and key solution providers to form the “GS1 MobileCom.”
The idea behind the GS1 MobileCom is to create a cross-industry initiative involving manufacturers, retailers, mobile industry companies and solution providers that will allow for all consumers to have access to trusted product information and related services via their mobile phones, as well as to allow all stakeholders to use open standards to make this possible and to ensure interoperable, scalable and cost-effective applications.
More simply, it’s a collaborative effort between all that have an interest in the future of mobile commerce to come together to create a blueprint, so to speak, to ensure everything comes together properly in terms of mobile commerce and everything it involves.
Global brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Kraft, L’Oréal, Wal-Mart and Carrefour met with groups such as the MMA, GSMA and CTIA at MIT in Boston recently to share ideas and their individual visions for the future of mobile commerce. This collaboration formed the GS1 MobileCom to “contribute to the common development of the mobile commerce marketplace.”
Two main points the collaboration wants to define is a way for consumers to get product information on their mobile phones by scanning a barcode on product packaging, as well as maintaining an open environment through development.
It’s a great start, and something that was needed. The mobile community has always been good in bringing providers and various companies together in efforts to expand the mobile cause. It should be interesting to see what develops out of these partnerships, and what advancements they produce- especially in terms of making product barcodes “scannable” to consumers.