In the middle of the ’90s, a Japanese car manufacturer Denso Wave played with black and white pieces used in the board game known as „GO”, and design the well-known QR codes. The initial idea was that the codes will be used in the vehicle manufacturing process, but they jumped over thirty years, and in the era of smartphones, QR codes are used more than ever! That’s why one shouldn’t trot after them, but use them for digital marketing! It is important to note the difference between a bar code (ones used in supermarkets) and a QR code. The first one is scanned horizontally – while the latter is scanned in all directions. With the help of his smartphone, the user can quickly and easily scan the code and in a few seconds be on the desired web page: a guest in a restaurant scans the QR code and is directed to the right section of the menu, wine card, etc. This, of course, requires that the URL codes be converted into QR codes. Every QR code is unique because the pattern of the squares and white space („the quiet zone”) is unique. This creates a connection with a specific part of the online database. The creation of a QR code is simple. Before the COVID-19 pandemic QR codes did not appeal to the masses even though they are easy to make, save customers’ time and money, and give insights into the company that makes and uses them. Smartphones and the pandemic brought QR codes into the center of the public’s attention, and this graph shows just that:
Now is the right time to use QR codes in digital marketing. Today’s smartphones have a built-in scanner that enables them to decode the rows and columns of the QR code. Research done by an American company MobileIron showed that 83% of consumers scanned a QR code at least once. But, in one month even 72% of consumers scanned a QR code. It was stated that the creation of QR codes is simple. It is so simple and some companies do it for free: QR Code Generator and Vic Generator. Bigger brands, for security reasons, use the paid service that Beaconstaca provides. The functionality and usefulness of QR codes is undisputable in the company’s business. They can skip unnecessary steps and provide correct information that bridges the gap between the seller and a buyer quickly. Brands like: Coinbase, Adidas, Louis Viton, Lacoste… creatively use QR codes: to express functional simplicity, geo-location, creative cooperation, product authentification, link between TV and store… Now is the right time to find your place in the world of smartphones and QR codes. DON‘T BE LATE!