Asteco, a leading UAE-based property management company, said it has launched the region’s first real estate application of Quick Response (QR) codes in its new property listings.

Highly evolved, interactive advertising technology, QR codes leverage a number of technology trends currently sweeping the globe, have arrived in the Middle East, enhancing the marketing services Asteco offers its clients, said a senior official.

"QR codes build significantly on traditional print- and outdoor-advertised property listings, providing a new level of fast, interactive and in-depth information on specific properties," said Elaine Jones, CEO, Asteco.

"Simply pointing a mobile phone camera at a QR smart-code icon triggers the sending of data to the device, with almost limitless possibilities in the type of information that can be provided," Jones added.

Asteco has already begun rolling out its QR code print advertising campaign, with its smartcode instantly directing users to its specially developed mobile website.

This currently enables visitors to request callbacks from Asteco sales agents, specify their exact property requirements and list their property through a mobile phone. Features to follow include quarterly market reports, property listings and read latest Asteco news.

According to technology research group, Gartner, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access device worldwide by 2013.

It predicts the total number of smart phones will outstrip PCs in the next two years, with browser-equipped mobile phones set to exceed 1.82 billion units, against 1.78 billion PC computers.

Across the entire Mena region, the mobile phone penetration rates are higher than the world average of 72 per cent. The Gulf countries have mobile phone penetration rates well in excess of 100 per cent, with the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar nearer 200 per cent as many users have multiple handsets, according to research from BuddeComm.

For specific properties, new QR-code embedded listings will also provide interactive displays and information on properties including walk-throughs, floor-plans, location maps and images, said Jones.

"In the property sector as in all industries, today's consumers want their information faster, and are increasingly relying on mobile technologies, especially smart phones, to bring it to them" she noted.

“This is a cutting-edge marketing initiative we provide to our customers, particularly developers, though it will also be very popular with private individuals looking for a new, tech-savvy way to generate interest in premium properties,” Jones added.-TradeArabia News Service