QR Codes, What is all the hype about?

Everywhere you turn you see an article about QR Codes. QR is short for quick response and they are anything but new. This variety of 2-dimensional bar codes was created in Japan, by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes.

What is new is the use of QR Codes in Marketing here in the US. Neilsen recently predicted smart phone penetration in the US will be at 50% by mid 2011. This means that one out of every two people in a store will have on their person a device capable of receiving relevant information about a product or service with the simple scan of a QR. I predict that you will begin to see store kiosks that do nothing more than scan QRs and display additional product information, print coupons, provide product comparisons and countless other marketing related services that can enhance the consumer buying experience. These kiosks may also be enhanced through the use of Augmented Reality. The key here is the streaming of RELEVANT content to a device.

By nature the QR addresses the issue of code orientation by utilizing three corners to define it's proper position. This makes it a good choice for mobile devices because the user can shoot the code at any angle and have success.

Another important attribute of QRs is by nature they have a large amount of error correction built in. This means that if the code is damaged it still will in most cases read correctly. While the correction was built in to assure readability the art community has taken it to the extreme by developing custom codes that still do the job. Among the more widely circulated highly customized QR Codes out there, is this code for Louis Vuitton created by Takashi Murakami. When decoded it directs the user to a mobile web site for Louis Vuitton. I think it is in Japanese!

Creating custom codes is pretty simple and only require a little bit of trial and error. Here are some codes I created for the Lake County Press 2011 Calendar. Although significantly different in appearance they all contain the exact same link information. A good rule of thumb to use if you want to make custom codes is to use a url shortener to redirect you to the desired site. This will minimize the data in the code and make customizing a bit easier.

One of my biggest pet peeves about QR codes I come across is the lack of thought put into the data presentation. Please don't waste my time and or your valued customers time by directing them to information that is not presented in a mobile device friendly format. Nothing is more annoying than trying to navigate a web page on a mobile device that was designed for a full screen experience.

Pan and zoom although possible make the experience more frustrating than informative and will more than likely force the user to leave before obtaining the information you were trying to present. Sounds like a logical rule of thumb but still to this day I will venture to bet that over 50% of the codes I scan are not retrieving mobile device formatted pages. I find this quite disturbing as we all know how easy it is to loose the attention of a customer yet we take short cuts that pretty much guarantee the loss.

If I scan more than one code for a particular brand and the experience is lack luster I cannot imagine I will waste the time again. You only have one chance to make a first impression! Don't blow it by using technology before you are ready too.

In closing I would like to share one of the best quotes about QRs and some food for thought from a recent article I read about QR Codes by Jeff Weidauer vice president of marketing and strategy for Vestcom International Inc:

Marketers are mostly interested in engaging with a higher-income, better-educated consumer. And the fact is, smartphones are already the preferred device with this demographic, whether business people or full-time parents. These valuable consumers are using a mobile device for far more than calls and texting. They are searching the mobile web for product information and pricing comparisons, and it's starting to happen more frequently right at the shelf edge in retail stores.

Another important point here is that consumers -- more accurately, shoppers -- are driving the mobile web and connectivity. To date, there is no strong influence from retail putting any wind in these sails. There is a vacuum in this space that will soon be filled; the question that remains is who will get there first?