Spyderco Scan Sticker Links To Main Website?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Has Spyderco considered putting a scannable code sticker on the box each knife comes in so the customer can be linked directly to the main Spyderco website?

[TimButterfield]

It would be cool to have a QR code printed there.

But, it would require maintaining every printed QR link that is published to keep working indefinitely. I'm not sure if or how often the web site may be updated where a new URL structure begins to be used. If that were to happen, there should be some way to redirect from the older URL routing to the new. And, doing this again on the next site restructure, and the next, etc. I like the idea, but it would add future technical debt if it were not done in a way that would make future changes easy. With that said, one possible way to implement it would be to refer to a 'lookup' page with the knife model number as a parameter that is passed. That lookup page could looking in the database for the current page URL route and redirect to it. Thus, any future site updates would minimize the effort to keep the old QR code links working.

So, useful and possible with a little 'future proof' planning.

[Naperville]

Sounds like a great idea.

[Mushroom]

It's a completely unnecessary expense and a waste of resources.

[TazKristi]

Has Spyderco considered putting a scannable code sticker on the box each knife comes in so the customer can be linked directly to the main Spyderco website?

Hi, SEF:
We've used QR codes for a few things (typically in advertising). We also had a QR code on a past catalog that led to an AR store tour. We're always discussing new options for their use. It would probably be something more specific on our site that it would lead to. At one point, QR codes seemed to be a dying technology, but they definitely made a comeback.

Kristi

[kennethsime]

Has Spyderco considered putting a scannable code sticker on the box each knife comes in so the customer can be linked directly to the main Spyderco website?

Hi, SEF:
We've used QR codes for a few things (typically in advertising). We also had a QR code on a past catalog that led to an AR store tour. We're always discussing new options for their use. It would probably be something more specific on our site that it would lead to. At one point, QR codes seemed to be a dying technology, but they definitely made a comeback.

Kristi

We've seen this in my industry also. We do QR codes on all of our marketing posters at this point.

[StuntZombie]

No thanks. I can just type in the site address.

[ThrottleCable]

It's a completely unnecessary expense and a waste of resources.

I second this.

[Evil D]

There are some really cool technologies happening in the world of print right now. I work for a company that makes boxes and one of our accounts is for Pizza Hut pizza boxes, and the print on the box actually has a dot matrix in it that is scanned by a machine at their factory and reads various info, but nobody has probably ever noticed the dot matrix was in the print, you'd never guess that the print itself can be scanned.

Anyway I'm not sure how this applies to this thread, just something I thought of when I saw it. If the cost isn't crazy I bet this is a technology that will probably be integrated into a lot of more common things. It could be a good or bad thing, this might be a way that we're forced into seeing or reading ads in the future or it might just be a convenient way to get information about various things.

[Naperville]

There are some really cool technologies happening in the world of print right now. I work for a company that makes boxes and one of our accounts is for Pizza Hut pizza boxes, and the print on the box actually has a dot matrix in it that is scanned by a machine at their factory and reads various info, but nobody has probably ever noticed the dot matrix was in the print, you'd never guess that the print itself can be scanned.

Anyway I'm not sure how this applies to this thread, just something I thought of when I saw it. If the cost isn't crazy I bet this is a technology that will probably be integrated into a lot of more common things. It could be a good or bad thing, this might be a way that we're forced into seeing or reading ads in the future or it might just be a convenient way to get information about various things.

Did you know that certain copiers and color printers print a secret dot pattern to thwart fake copies of US money?

https://www.google.com/search?q=certain ... ot+pattern

Totally off topic but related to printers and copiers: did you know that places like Kinkos, FedEx, and other large print locations that you go into to print off copies of documents have very large hard drives that store all of the documents that have been printed off on them. Your documents remain there possibly for years on a printer anyone that works there or is in law enforcement, can go through, search through them, and print them at a later date.

[DSH007]

It's a completely unnecessary expense and a waste of resources.

Depends on how it's applied. My most recent ZT knife did not have the usual info/warranty pamphlet in the box; in its place was a small business card with QR links direct to the relevant information on the ZT website. As far as production costs go, I'd imagine printing business cards vs an equivalent number of lengthy pamphlets represents a significant savings..

Regardless of personal opinions on the matter, this technology stuff is the way of the future (I'll admit to being a little put off my seeing a QR code when I opened that ZT box). As much as I personally enjoy the nice pamphlets that come in my Spyderco boxes, I'll admit.. I read them once and then they sit in my cabinet. The information is all available on the Spyderco website. If Spyderco started including a QR link card instead of a pamphlet in each knife box and was able to put any media cost savings back into the knives.. I could get onboard with that.

[Mushroom]

It's a completely unnecessary expense and a waste of resources.

Depends on how it's applied. My most recent ZT knife did not have the usual info/warranty pamphlet in the box; in its place was a small business card with QR links direct to the relevant information on the ZT website. As far as production costs go, I'd imagine printing business cards vs an equivalent number of lengthy pamphlets represents a significant savings..

Regardless of personal opinions on the matter, this technology stuff is the way of the future (I'll admit to being a little put off my seeing a QR code when I opened that ZT box). As much as I personally enjoy the nice pamphlets that come in my Spyderco boxes, I'll admit.. I read them once and then they sit in my cabinet. The information is all available on the Spyderco website. If Spyderco started including a QR link card instead of a pamphlet in each knife box and was able to put any media cost savings back into the knives.. I could get onboard with that.

Creating and maintaining the links is primarily what I find to be an unnecessary expense and a waste of resources.

Is it a link to Spyderco.com? (Someone said main Spyderco website) I would question what the point of that is. Is it a link to each individual SKU in the box? If it's printed on the box itself, that's a huge expense compared to ordering plain boxes in bulk. Even just a QR code sticker is an additional expense and as trivial as it might seem, the placement of the additional sticker on the box is not an insignificant decision.

I would hate to lose the informational pamphlets included with each knife. The pamphlet represents more than just the product information and warranty - It's one of the many physical representations of Spyderco's commitment to their high quality standards. (I know the QR code could just be included on these pamphlets but then that gets back to my point of avoiding a bunch of broken QR code links for the next... forever)

Also, I tend to doubt the production savings for a QR code card vs. the current pamphlet would be passed on to the consumer. Unless prices rising by 9% instead of 10% is the type of "savings" you're talking about, then I don't believe the consumer will be seeing much of any reduction in price due to printing a QR code card vs. the pamphlets.

There is also the potential risk for QR code fraud but that's a whole other topic in and of itself.

[Mini2white]

Just keep the website up to date, with good search, matching product codes off the boxes. Easier to maintain over the years than inheriting a design that will require maintenance forever.

[Pacu0420]

How hard is it to just type the word "Spyderco" in the search bar? Seems kind of pointless.