Sears has become the first U.S. retailer to begin a public trial of 2-D bar code, according to eWeek. Other top-tier U.S. retailers that are seriously evaluating the technology includes Best Buy, Gap, and Target.

In the United States, there are multiple vendors driving this technology. Sears is working with a company called ScanBuy, while Best Buy and Target are working with an outfit called StoreXperience.

Excerpt from eWeek:

The technique involves having a cell phone’s digital camera “look” at a small 2-D bar code on an advertisement, which launches an applet. A server interprets the bar code and the phone then launches a Web browser and deep-links to a page on that site, typically the Web site of the advertiser.

As expected, the biggest concern is that relatively few phones will be able to access the service, since the service is available on a limited number of phones at the moment.

What is your take on retail 2-D bar codes? Will consumers bite?