About Tag

Microsoft Tag connects almost anything in the real world to information, entertainment, and interactive experiences on your mobile phone. Tags are a new kind of bar code that can be displayed anywhere. You can add a Tag to your ads, posters, product packages, flyers, display it on your website, billboards, clothing…the list is endless. When you scan a Tag by using the free Tag Reader application on your mobile phone, it will automatically open a webpage, display a message, or dial a number – there are no long URLs to type or SMS messages to send.

Anyone can create Tags. Put them on your materials or your webpage and you decide what your customers will experience. Unlike other kinds of bar codes, Tags are fully customizable. You can decide to create your Tags in black and white, or you can create colorful Tags that visually represent your business or personal brand in a spectacular manner. It only takes a few minutes to start working with Tag and it is free to scan and create Tags.

• Use a Tag to instantly link to a mobile website or video.
• Scan a Tag on a business card to instantly add someone to your address book.
• All the Tags you've scanned to-date are saved so you can retrieve them later or share with others.
• Create your own Tags using our Tag Manager and view reports on how frequently they are scanned.

Microsoft Tag vs. Other 2D Codes

Linking real-world objects to deeper experiences on mobile phones started in Japan with QR Codes. Microsoft Tag provides a next-generation solution that offers many useful improvements.

Tag is an end-to-end system that provides many capabilities beyond simply opening a URL, and is built upon an architecture that allows for new functionality to be added over time. Instead of just opening a URL, the Tag system leverages dedicated client software and a cloud-based back-end to provide functionality that just isn’t possible with earlier QR Codes. For example, the Tag system has built-in reporting to let you know how your Tags are being scanned, and enables you to provide integrated solutions that span multiple Tags and sessions. And over time, it can provide many other value-added services.

The new bar code format itself also provides many advantages. Tags can be created in a much smaller size than older bar codes and can be read faster and under a wider range of lighting conditions. Tag provides the option to make Custom Tags that full integrate your brand’s personality into the Tag itself, creating colorful, visually exciting codes that don’t distract from your message. Learn more about how to create Custom Tags.

 

Here are just some of the reasons to use Microsoft Tag:

Adaptable Size

Tag's small size makes it a perfect choice for use in printed materials and visual media forms.

 

Customized Look and Feel

It's easy to customize the look of a Tag to reflect the personality of the person or a brand.

 

Single Source

All Tags report back to a single source, ensuring a high consistency in user experience across multiple devices and platform types.

 

Reliability of Reads

Overcomes limited camera phone optics, resolution, and processing power.

 

Advanced Analytics

Captures the number of click-throughs and scans of a particular Tag, as well as the resulting responses.

The Tag Reader application runs on all the major phone platforms, and users can instantly download the app from a single site. Even better, unlike older formats, every Microsoft Tag can be read by every Tag Reader, so there is no consumer confusion that results from incompatible solutions. Tags just work.