As you watch your favorite television programs each night or skim through the weekly grocery store ad, you no doubt have noticed the increasing visibility of QR codes. If you are unfamiliar with a QR code, they are the black-and-white boxes that are often included in the bottom corner or TV programs or direct-mail advertisers. What purpose do QR codes serve? Is their day in the limelight gone, or is the best yet to come for these barcodes?
What are QR Codes?
QR codes can be used to imbed information in the same way that barcodes on clothing tags or grocery items label them for easy reading at the register. Consumers most often interact with QR codes using their smartphones, while business use equipment from providers like EMSBarcode.com to track assets and manage inventory.
Are QR Codes Dead?
It has been reported by some industry specialists, such as Marketing Land, that the QR code’s popularity has come and gone. As a tool for generating greater interaction between consumers and businesses, Marketing Land argued that the QR code was a thing of the past. Consumers weren’t rushing to adopt the QR code, largely because it not as easy to scan them with smartphones as promised. Not all smartphones had the ability to scan them, and most had to download and open a separate app to just to scan the codes.
In suggesting the QR code was dead, the piece from Marketing Land offered five reasons why:
- No smartphone manufacturer had developed and shipped a phone with a QR reader pre-loaded.
- The mobile experience was clunky and disappointing for those who did use it.
- Some QR codes appear on ads in places with no WiFi or mobile connectivity, rendering them useless.
- Producers of packaged goods thought the inclusion of a QR code and a UPC code was overkill on their products.
- QR codes simply didn’t seem to be worth the time.
QR Codes are Alive and Kicking
The doubters have largely been proven wrong by the continued existence and popularity of QR codes over the past year. Despite the five reasons for its failure, as noted above, the QR code continues to exist in both the consumer realm and in a business-to-business setting. There are a lot of advantages that QR codes offer to business, including the following:
- Include more contact information by adding to codes to business cards
- Track advertising efforts by including unique QR codes on different ad platforms
- Include digital properties on print materials
- Use them to link customers directly to webpages with useful information on new products
- Place QR codes on event tickets and link to Google Maps, RSVP pages, and/or a checklist of materials attendees should bring.
There are still many consumer uses for QR codes. Among the notable uses, as pointed out by Wasp Buzz, are promotional downloads for consumers as implemented by Taco Bell and Mountain Dew, or the Sukiennice Museum’s effort to enhance the interactivity of museum materials with QR codes.
Even the detractors of QR codes have had to walk back from their previous statements. Marketing Land had to go so far as admitting it was wrong in posting a brand new piece, comsplete with five new reasons the QR codes was not as dead as its writer believed. The question now is, what will you use QR codes for?
Willard Torres is always on the lookout for business innovations and news. When he finds something interesting, he likes to share it by posting online. Look for his illuminating articles on a variety of websites and blogs.
