QR Codes Have (Re)Entered the Room

Anthony Gallegos - October 25, 2021

Do you remember QR codes? If you never fumbled around with your phone and tried to open a third-party QR scanner app to get the perfect, in-focus scan only for the app to then freeze or shut down, I’ll provide a brief overview.

QR codes, abbreviated for Quick Response, are two-dimensional barcodes that are readable by smart devices. They are commonly found on, but not limited to, packaging, business cards, restaurant menus, or print ads.

The idea behind QR codes is to bring offline customers online by having them pull out their smart device, scan the barcode, and be directed to online content. That online content could be a website, landing page, social media profile, or payment option, among others.

Years ago, Inc’s research found that an astounding 97% of consumers didn’t know what a QR code was. In addition, many were unsure of which app to use to read a QR code, or how to search for an app to read one. Put simply, the problem was that QR codes never were as rewarding or straightforward as they may have sounded. That is until recently.

Fast forward to the current pandemic and the need for touchless solutions in our socially distanced society, the QR code is experiencing an unexpected, but appreciated revival. The need for a touchless world—along with mobile technology finally allowing QR codes to be scanned directly through the camera app—has called the once-detested QR code back into daily use, and it’s important for marketers to take note.

Some of the many uses for QR codes I’ve seen recently have been restaurants, bars, and pubs exchanging their menus for laminated flyers of the QR code to protect their staff and customers. Grocery stores have also adopted new ways to pay by using QR codes to reduce the risk of human-to-human infection. The healthcare sector is also implementing QR codes to collect patient data through touchless forms and to allow for easy patient checkout.

Essentially, whether someone’s dining out or purchasing their weeks’ worth of groceries, they may very well be interacting with that business by using QR codes. For marketers wanting to get potential customers to a webpage or to a signup form quickly, QR codes make perfect sense due to their quickness and simplicity of use. So what are you waiting for? Your next customer could be just a scan away.

If you want to (re)enter the QR code market for your business, contact the experts at MoreVisibility.