QR codes have beeing popping up in recent years: billboards, packaging, advertisements, business cards, in-store displays, etc. But, what are they? And do people really scan them? Find out!
QR Codes Aren’t Just Pixelated Squares?
QR codes were invented in Japan in 1994 by Toyota who used them to track their vehicles as they went through the manufacturing process. QR stands for Quick Response and they are actually a type of 2D barcode. They can hold over 4,000 alphanumeric characters and often contain URLs, tracking codes, names, addresses and other personalized date. They are very easy to create using any number of the free QR code generators available on the internet. Consumers scan QR codes with their smartphone using a free QR code scanning app.
Do People Really Scan QR Codes?
In today’s fast paced technological world where 60% of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, you would think that scanning and using QR codes from a consumer perspective would be quite widespread. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are some other pretty shocking consumer behavior statics about QR Codes from a January 2012 study by Consumer Pulse:
- 79% of people haven’t even heard of QR codes BUT 81% know a QR code when they see it
- Only 50% of smartphone owners have scanned a QR code and once scanned, 57% did nothing with the information they received
- When asked about the usefulness of information from QR codes, only 41% said the information was useful while 42% had mixed feelings and 18% thought the information was not useful
Does this say something about QR Codes, Consumers or Marketers?
All three. Clearly consumers still don’t have a widespread knowledge of QR codes and their benefits and perhaps marketers are not using them correctly. A quick glance around a store or magazine still does not show the type of penetration that QR codes have the potential to achieve. But why is that? QR codes are misunderstood, by the general public and by marketers.
Why QR Codes Themselves are Misunderstood
QR codes are actually completely customizable. Only 16% of QR codes analyzed by Harte-Hanks were customized. Bill Cosby customized a QR code for his Twitter image which has a photo of himself in the background. Companies can embed logos, images, change the colors, and create beautifully designed QR codes that still function properly but look vastly more attractive than the default black and white ones. In addition, the potential uses for QR codes are truly endless. They have already been used for manufacturing tracking, consumer engagement, marketing, and researchers have even figured out how to use them for combat cash counterfeiting. Creativity it truly the limit with these unique barcodes.
Why Consumers and Marketers Misunderstand QR Codes
The term “QR code” is not widely recognized. The actual code itself is not even recognizable by everyone. This is due in large part to the fact that the QR code has not yet dominated the masses and because consumers have not been taught how to use them or why they are beneficial to them. In addition, smartphones are not currently preloaded with a QR code scanner and there are many to choose from, some of which only work on specific formats of QR codes. Therefore, scanning QR codes is not as easy as simply placing your phone’s camera in front of the code.
Marketers have to take some of the blame too. Marketers tend to just slap a QR code somewhere with the assumption that people know to scan them and how to scan them, but they don’t. Only 35% of QR codes evaluated by Harte-Hanks included instructions for use. Include a call to action to get people to scan AND instructions on how to do it.
It is not just one thing that has led to the misunderstanding of QR codes. The process needs to be streamlined. The kinks need to be worked out to make scanning any QR code easy. The general public needs to have a working knowledge of what to do with a QR code and why they are helpful. Marketers need to use QR codes to their full potential and explain to consumers what to do with the QR code on their advertisement (until it becomes instinct). With the constant advancement of technology and the changing consumer behaviors and marketing trends, the stars may align in the future to make QR codes the next big thing. But for right now, they are still gaining footing.
