That little thingy is a Quick Response Code (QR Code). According to Marc Lyne of SearchEngineLand.com, “They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone.” Because of their design, these codes store more data than the traditional bar code.
Jeff Korhan of SocialMediaExaminer.com notes that traditional bar codes are “linear one-dimensional codes and can only hold up to 20 numerical digits, whereas QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them practical for small businesses.”
Basically, a consumer can download a QR Code Reader App for your smartphone that will scan the code and send you to a webpage with more information about the specific product or service you are interested in.
The benefits of the consumer can be:
- Instance detailed information about the product or service
- Activate functions such as email, SMS, IM, or web browsers on the phone
- Access to coupons and sales, etc.
- Geographic analysis locations to purchase locations
- Allows consumers to share information about a product or service easily—through social media channels, email, etc. or even to rate businesses easily through items like Google’s Favorite Places
The benefits for the advertiser are numerous, including:
- They provide an easy means to measure marketing material success
- They allow marketers to obtain demographic, geographic information to target customers
- Provide an instant opportunity for engagement with consumers
- Provide an opportunity to build a community around your product and service through social media channels. For example, Korhan notes, “After building a community, the next logical step is to mobilize them to take action. What are you trying to accomplish? You can alternate special offers by simply linking your QR codes to new landing pages, and you can combine then with email opt-ins to build your list.”
QR Codes are one of the more valuable integration tools made available with the recent surge of new media. This tool is gaining power as its consumers learn more of its advantages to them. This is the key hurdle to the use of the QR Codes.
Such a tool is more engaging to youth and first adopters of new technology. NielsonWire.com noted that as of 2009, only 21% of American use a smartphone. However, there has been a dramatic increase in use of recent years and projection of 50% of American will use a smartphone by the end of 2011. Though the technology for QR Codes have been around for over decade, many consumers still don’t understand the purpose and advantages of QR Codes. What’s more, there is always a great concern from Americans for privacy and potential for viruses and spamming with the use of new technology.
Should your business use QR codes. Heck, yeah. Consider giving a reason for consumers to scan the code in your marketing materials to encourage the use.
And, as always, keep in mind the demographic your business is trying to attract. If your product and services are desirable for first adopters and technology lovers, then you should definitely have QR codes and fully employ every face of their existence. If, however, your target demographic is quilters who wear Depends, you’ve got some time to wait to see where the technology goes.