QR codes are becoming big tools for marketers and much more popular for smartphone and tablet users. Here is what a typical QR code looks like.
What exactly is a QR code? As described by Marc Lyne for Search Engine Land: “They come to us from Japan where they are very common. QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes in a magazine advert, on a billboard, a Web page, or even on someone’s T-shirt. Once it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business (allowing users to search for nearby locations), or details about the person wearing the T-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet. The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including URL links, geo coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, many modern cell phones can scan them.”
So, who are the most active users of QR technology in the world? According to a Pitney Bowes’study highlighted by eMarketer, it is young adults in the United States.
Click the chart to see more results from the Pitney Bowes’ study.
QR codes seem to be an effective way of vastly expanding peoples’ knowledge and information base in a simple way. Having such codes available to scan on a device as small as a cell phone will allow human beings to attain more information on a given topic in a very quick and easy fashion.
With the increasing availability of QR codes and the expansive use of smartphones, more and more people will find themselves using QR codes. I have recently used my first QR code as a movie ticket and it was quicker, easier, and more effective than purchasing a regular ticket. Because they are easy to use and are capable of retaining a significant amount of information, QR codes have the potential to simplify daily activities and become the new norm for sharing information.
It seems that QR codes are growing at a rapid rate, specifically here in the United States. Personally I have seen these codes in magazines and tabloids that represent a specific product or company. They seem to be extremely assessable yet they never seem to work in my benefit. QR codes are very appealing because of it’s benefits but also seems to be a tad confusing from past experiences. If the t-shirt idea works, I think that would be 100% life-changing and revolutionary.