Big in Japan announced today that a variety of diverse brands — including Ford, Gold’s Gym and the Washington Metro — are using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program to increase awareness and trial of QR Codes to better inform consumers about their products and services.

From the release:

“Compared to UPC and EAN barcodes, QR Codes can provide consumers with far more product information – offering significant opportunities for marketers as an increasing number of consumers shop with scanners in hand,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “The stumbling block has been a lack of awareness of QR Codes; most consumers aren’t sure what to do when they see one.”

Through the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, brands overlay a badge on their QR Codes to alert ShopSavvy’s installed base of more than 6.5 million users that they will find helpful product information by scanning the code.

Gold’s Gym, for example, is currently using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program in signage, product inserts and other materials associated with its fitness equipment, which is available at Walmart. By scanning a QR code, users can view product demos of treadmills, elliptical trainers and more on their smartphones.

Beyond the specific successes of the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, Muse said he is seeing a greater interest in QR Codes by both brands and ShopSavvy users.

“Every day, ShopSavvy users are scanning QR Codes at Best Buy, Gap, Dick’s Sporting Goods and other retailers,” Muse said. “Brands like Heineken, Jones New York, and Verizon are also using QR Codes effectively. The recent Warner Brothers film ‘Inception’ was also promoted with QR Codes, and more than 50,000 ShopSavvy users participated in that promotion.”

“Scan with ShopSavvy” is only one of the ways Big in Japan has demonstrated its commitment to QR Codes. Last month, the company released a free, single-purpose QR Code Reader and Scanner for iPhone. It is already one of the 50 most-downloaded utilities in Apple’s iTunes Store.

Businesses that are interested in participating in the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program just need to follow these simple steps or email us at sales@biggu.com.