The Rise And Rise of QR Codes

06 January 2013 cybecom 0 Comments

Cybecom Contact Details QR Code

What exactly is a QR Code I hear you ask. A QR Code (or Quick Response Code) is a type of two-dimensional barcode and was first designed for the automotive industry in Japan by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. Various types of information can be encoded.

So your next question might be “So what! Why should i be interested in QR Codes?”. With the simplicity of the QR Code format and the growth in mobile technology, it has become super easy to store lots of information (or sometimes just a little) in a QR Code to make it easy for people to access that information. ie. With the camera of your smartphone or tablet and a free QR Code scanning app, users can very quickly scan the code and then act on that data. The best way to describe this is by way of examples. The following table highlights just a few and their use is only limited by your imagination.

Information Stored	Main Benefit/s	Where Would The Code Be Displayed?
Website Address (URL)	Customer can go straight to a specific page on your website and find out more information and/or buy the product.	Online and offline advertisements. In presentation slides. On stickers attached to cars, shop windows, etc. On products for competitions. Public transport timetable information. In newspaper articles. In art gallery next to an artwork. In parks, shopping centres, etc. as part of a virtual game. At key spots along a route for a car rally.
Business Card Information	A quick way to import full contact information into your address book.	On business cards. On websites. On any marketing material where contact information would be handy.
Asset Number And Other Relevant Details	Help track physical assets.	On stickers.
Electronic Coupons or eGift cards	Easy method for a shopper to receive benefits.	Smartphone apps.
Payment Information (Possible Future Trend)	A virtual credit card - no need to have a physical one anymore.	Smartphone banking app. Bricks-and-Mortar store shopping app.
Frequent Buyer Information	No more physical cards.	Smartphone apps. Wave code over the scanner when you shop.

And if you want to see a good example of a funny but very innovative use of a QR Code, [rokbox text=”check out this video” size=”640 310″]http://vimeo.com/21228618&autoplay=1[/rokbox] where the candidate had a very interesting way to provide his resume.

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