They’re everywhere. On transit shelters, in newspapers, on real estate signs, store front windows, at trade show booths, and even on your case of Heineken. QR codes are spreading like butter on warm toast.
I’m what is aptly referred to as a Digital Native. I am technologically savvy, I write and speak around the world on digital trends, I have a smart phone, an iPad, and close to 80 apps…and yet, there have been but a small handful of times over the past few years that I have scanned a QR code. I have never scanned a transit shelter, a newspaper, a real estate sign, store front window, trade show booth or even a case of Heineken. Why? Because there wasn’t a compelling enough reason.
The other day, I wrote on the importance of the idea behind the tool. QR codes, although au courant, are simply pixelated barcodes. The problem with racing to create a bunch for your business is that I’ve never heard anyone say, “If only I could scan a pixelated barcode…I’d finally have someone to give my business to.”
QR codes themselves are not bad. It’s usually the ideas behind them that are. Ideas are the spark that have made some who implement them into their marketing successful. Specifically, ideas that are rooted in relevance, meaning and usefulness.
The most important question to ask yourself is will QR codes add value to my business and customers or am I running to keep up with the hype?
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More reading on QR Codes:
QR Codes for Events – Case Studies & Ideas
What are QR Codes & How to Use Them
I think you touch on a good point. QR Codes are not so new anymore – so why haven’t they garnished a equal usage to the hype they’ve been receiving over the past year?
I believe the answer comes in presentation & application. Not EVERYTHING deserves a QR code. Why post a QR code that links to http://www.mysite.com when http://www.mysite.com will suffice? I have seen Best Buy roll out QR codes for every single product in their stores – great application. I was shopping for a mouse a while back and could snap codes of a few of the ones I liked so I could comparison shop the features and price of each of them – without fumbling to remember the brand or model of each.
I think creators/distributors of QR codes may struggle to find usage unless it simplifies a process. Replacing physical brochures at a trade show, importing business card .csv details, etc.
You nailed it on the head – people need to be “compelled” to use them.
Well said, Eric. I was recently asked whether to implement a QR code on a website to direct someone to another site. After a resounding “No”, I asked why while sitting at my computer, would I track down my smart phone, load my app, scan a code only to read the content on a mobile device…when I could simply click a link and view it on my computer screen?
Not sure if you saw this, but it’s a wonderful example of a great ‘idea’ and simplifying the process. http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/koreas-tesco-reinvents-grocery-shopping-with-qr-code-stores-20110628/
That’s just brilliant!
I didn’t read this comment before I posted. This is exactly what I am talking about. Businesses here need to get on-board with QR technology, but there are obstacles which I noted in my original comment.
@DianaLong Diana, I’ve tried searching for your other comment on QR codes, but can’t find it anywhere. What comment are you referring to? I quite enjoyed your notes on my other post (My Klout Score Dropped – Am I less influential?) – so hopefully we can find it 😉
@LaraMcCulloch For me, it looks like it’s the 1st post right after the article.
@DianaLong I’ll have to look into this – it appears that your comment is missing from my view.
“I have never scanned a transit shelter, a newspaper, a real estate sign, store front window, trade show booth or even a case of Heineken. Why? Because there wasn’t a compelling enough reason”.
Exactly! You hit the nail on the head Lara!
The QR Code Hype Cycle http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-hype/
Roger,
I read your article – great stuff! Social proof is a funny thing – it dictates that if most others are doing something, we should too (or else suffer the likely potential of a social faux pas). Not the best idea in jumping off of bridges (just like Mom used to say), QR codes, social media, or any other tactic in business. Thank you for sharing your insights via your article.
With the current explosion in mobile marketing, advertisers are
seizing the opportunity to connect online with their target audiences and
integrate QR codes in marketing campaigns. To date, the “payoff” for the
“scanning consumer” has, as you point out, often been lacking. At Skanz, we
have developed a social networking platform that uses QR codes in a way that we
hope will be useful to people in both their social and their business lives.
We want to make it easier for people to share the personal information
they spend millions of hours cultivating and caring for everyday
their
Socialprints. By offering people a digital home for all of their
contact information,
Social media and more, Skanz uses QR code technology to facilitate
the instant and easy sharing of your digital life, and the first experience
with a personal,
wearable and useful QR-coded social networking platform.
At a business event, people can use their smartphones to scan each
other’s
QR code, facilitating the instant exchange of valuable contact
information, including phone numbers, email addresses and social media
(Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). In a busy event or conference setting, QR codes
act as business cards on steroids, providing a platform for engagement and
networking both during and after the show. After the event, you now have info
to use for follow up, including a photo of that person and all of their contact
details and social media. If you want to see how they were used recently in NYC
at the CEA Line Shows you can check out the CE Week video on http://www.skanz.com.
We are still in beta, but are getting set to launch in August.
(Laura, we got your Tweet asking for a QR code/skanzsite for your
speaking engagement at MPI’s World Education Conference. Hopefully you got our
email. We would have loved to outfit you with your Socialprint!! Next time!)
@QRMarketer Thank you for the thoughtful comments. Just as a side I never got your email. Would still like to speak with you though.
@QRMarketer Thank you for the thoughtful comments. Just as a side I never got your email. Would still like to speak with you though.
It is!
QR codes is actually a brilliant idea, but they have not been used to their fullest extent. Most places simply use it to take the person to a website, but it’s just as easier to type in a URL on my iPhone (or with the 4s – I can just speak it…Thanks Siri!). The brilliance of QR codes is that certain sites are huge, they are so big that you have to use a search function to get to the product or article that you really want. For example, say if I was in a Target (for example) and I saw a QR code and it went directly to Target’s website – and to that exact product on my smartphone and I was able to purchase that product in a few clicks without have to search for a model number or anything else. Now that would be brilliant. However, the technology hasn’t caught up to the individual business models. Every business (even Target) is distributed in groups. So the groups that want to sell you products in the store don’t want to purchasing that product online. They don’t get credit (i.e. bonuses) for having the online group promote themselves that aggressively so the two groups don’t exactly work together – even though they are the same company.
If QR codes were used properly it would be incredible. Shifting through a huge website by only taking a quick picture of barcode to get EXACTLY where I want to go is a great tool – but unfortunately we need the business side to catch up to the technology.
http://www.1776broadway.com
You are definitely correct. It is beneficial if used correctly and for the right reasons. Additionally, with the growth in demands for smart phones, I believe it will have a positive correlation on the demands for digital codes scanning.
— Linh Tran
http://www.mobosurvey.com
@LinhTran Thanks for weighing in, Linh. Much has changed since I wrote this post in June — it will be interesting to see which technologies & tools thrive in the next year.