Email may have decimated snail mail, but luckily for postal services and couriers, packages aren't as easy to send as bits and bytes. This Christmas is likely to be another bumper year for presents being sent in the mail and Australia Post is providing gift-givers with the ability to attach a video message to their parcels.
When packaging up a gift for friends and family, the sender sticks the Video Stamp, which takes the form of a QR code, to their parcel and scans it with a special smartphone app. They are then prompted to record a personalized video message of up to 15 seconds, which the gift recipient can view on their smartphone by again scanning the stamp when the parcel arrives in the post.
Recipients can use any QR code reader app to view the video message for up to 90 days after the time of recording or, if they don't have a smartphone or tablet, they can log into a web page with the details sent with the stamp. They can also share the message on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ or send it in an email.
Australia Post is offering Video Stamps free for items sent via Express Post and Express Courier International in the lead up to Christmas. The Australia Post Video Stamp app is available for iOS and Android and is also free.
The video below shows how Video Stamps work.
Source: Australia Post
