I am glad to find out that a lot fewer females are using QR
codes than males according to the blog, no wonder I seldom noticed QR codes
around me. As a result, I immediately found myself lack of position on judging
this tool. I talked to my male engineer friends and tried to get more
information. They told me that QR codes are very popular right now and they are
everywhere. However, since I never recognize myself as a technology lagger and I
seldom use this tool, I believe that the QR codes still have long way to go.
I found one thing that is very weird. Most of the QR codes
scans happened at home. For my information, one of an outstanding QR codes’
advantage is that it contains more information and more channels than bar code.
Once you scan a QR code, the tool will guide you to a webpage. Imagine you are
at home sitting in the sofa while surfing on your iPad, will you still reach
out your smartphone, scan a QR codes and go to a webpage on your phone? It’s
not reasonable for people to scan some codes while they can reach out much
easier tools to get the information. However, the realty is there. People are doing
this. It turns out that they find the codes majorly from newspapers and print
magazines. Now let’s talk about future. If the QR codes tie itself to print
media which is dying, it won’t have a promising future.
Are QR codes working?
Sure. There are many people in the world using these codes. But
from my point of views, the QR codes should figure out something better as a
carrier. Obviously, print media is not
good choice. The nature of QR codes being bundled with smartphone decides that
QR codes should work closely with the functions of smartphone. I agree with
Dave that most of the usage of QR should be outside. I read another blog Danyl Bosomworth
wrote about QR codes. He talked about several QR’s promising applications which
I agree a lot. One of them is “Map and Signage”. QR codes can help people find
locations and directions. My suggestion is that the codes can be combined with
GPS and map on the smartphone. With an easy scan of a QR code, people can get
all the information of where they are and the related information such as restaurants
and shops, maybe even news happened in the near area.
In my opinion, the reason that QR codes are not that popular
yet is it doesn’t meet people’s needs, at least not my needs. I don’t find any
QR codes that are attracted to me to scan. Maybe for some events and coupons, I
can use the tool to check the exclusive information. But if we want to push QR
codes to larger audiences, we want to stimulate the interests and needs of
people to use and only use QR codes.
Reference
Dave Chaffey, “QR Code Statistics” http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/qr-code-marketing/qr-codes-location-demographic-statistics/
Danyl Bosomworth “Marketing with QR codes” http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/proximity-marketing/marketing-qr-codes/
I may have some disagreement with you, Mengting. I did not notice much change between QR code and barcode before until I read this article. I use QR code occasionally, but unawarely. However, if you pay attention enough, QR code is surrounding us nowadays. Moreover, the digital products now are almost all contain a camera on it, including tablets (ipad) and smartphones, which enables the QR code to work well on those platform. Another thing I want to argue is about the print media. On the contrary, I think it is a great choice to do the QR code marketing. It can generate customers' awareness of the product. Also, for instance, in a restaurant, it will be great if the restaurant prints a QR code on their menu so that the customers can check the ingredients and the pictures of the food on the internet. Printer media can give more time for the customers to scan and think about the QR code than the digital media. Think about if the QR code is on the screen in the middle of a advertisement, the audience will have no enough time to scan it and check it online. In terms of the needs, I totally agree with you - it is necessary to attract customers based on their interests.
ReplyDeleteMengting, I have the same consideration with you! I also think about how if a customer is using smartphone surfing online and have no other device to scan QR on phone. So that's one of the reason I suggest also put scanner in PC, and it's just step one. QR can show a lot of potential influence if it distribute large area and industry. Just as you mentioned, it can be used beside road. Let's image it further, how if a scanner put inside car and when a car pass a road containing QR code, the screen in this car can show location information and business information nearby automatically? That would be much more convenient for drivers since they don't need to search on phone while driving anymore.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mengting
ReplyDeleteI also gets some disagreements with you either.
First of all, the QR code is really popular right now. You didn't realize it may be attributed to you didn't pay attention to it I guess. Before I stared to write my post, I have no idea of what a QR code is. But actually I have already using it unconsciously when I do packaging in the UPS and when I showed my e-tickets at the events. You might have already gain benefit of the QR codes but you were unaware of it.
Secondly,you doubted the most common location of scanning a QR code is home. You view the PC and tablet are more convenient than phone to use at home. But QR code can direct the phone to desirable website at once, omitting the searching process which you need to do on PC and tablet. What about the case you can not find your desirable website easily on PCs? A simple scan can fix it easily.
Thirdly, you view it is not promising for QR code to rely on the prints. I suggest you to see the videos of ads on magazines in the following link. (http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/qr-code-marketing/using-action-codes-to-integrate-print-ads-with-digital-media/) I was shocked for the first time to see it. It is NFC, one of the action codes as well. In contrast, I do not view that QR relied on prints is unpromising but it may save the prints market! Moreover, prints is only one of several locations which QR code relied on! The website, packaging,flyer and so on are all important carriers!