QR Codes today are used everywhere, largely for marketing purposes to deliver an enhanced customer experience by brands and businesses of all sizes. But if you are a marketer who used QR Codes a decade back, you probably hate them. Back then, the end-users had a terrible experience using QR Codes: there were problems galore with mass end-user adoption.
Most consumers had terribly slow speed internet, did not own a smartphone and even when they did, they had to download an app that took forever to scan a QR code. Upon scanning the QR code, the websites where users get redirected to were not optimized for smartphones making the whole situation worse.
People stopped using it and hence QR Codes failed to pick up as a marketing tool.
Do people use QR Codes now?
QR codes are being used by millions now. Everyone now has a smartphone clubbed with fast speed internet and QR code scanner. The number of smartphone users worldwide today surpasses 3.5 billion and is forecast to further grow by several hundred million in the next few years. Smartphone owners do not have to download a separate QR Code app.
The use of QR Codes surpasses the bazillion mark. QR Code usage is now more than ever for marketing purposes, payment services, and various industry verticals for other useful use-cases. QR Codes have become an integral part of everyday life. In many countries, primarily QR codes are getting used for making payments, receiving offers, and unlocking coupons.
Why marketers are using QR codes?
Businesses and brands have come to realize just how powerful QR Codes are as a weapon in their marketing arsenal. People now keep track of their favorite brands and products through their mobile devices. Targeted to mobile users, QR Codes are cost-effective, universally applicable, and help marketers reach their target audience in the offline world connecting them directly to their digital platforms.
Since the Internet hardly extends beyond digital platforms by itself, object hyperlinking aims to extend it to the physical world by attaching tags with URLs to tangible objects or locations.
QR Codes do just that by linking in-store products to Internet resources, enhancing the value of the shopping experience for buyers. This is a simple and easy way to enhance shopper’s experience and how customers interact with your product and services.
- QR codes allow contactless marketing – This is one of the essential reasons why QR codes are useful and can serve as an effective marketing tool, especially now that we are facing the Covid 19 pandemic that requires us to minimize human contact. Customers can access QR codes using their smartphones and be in control of the situation.
- QR codes in marketing provide quick access to information – QR Code provides quick information directly to your target audience just by scanning them and without the need for bulky devices. Again, who doesn’t own a smartphone in this era?
- QR codes can build a relationship with customers – QR codes in marketing allows marketers and business people to have a more in-depth insight into their products and services, helping them build a deeper connection and trust with their customers.
- Bridge the gap between the online and offline world – Throughout the marketing campaign, marketers and business people use different types of medium to interact and engage with their audience, both offline and online media. QR codes help bridge this gap by integrating a virtual experience to their marketing that enhances the overall customer experience while being in a real-world setting.
- Access to real-time information – Using a Dynamic QR code generator online, you can also give out updated information about your products or services by changing the data behind your QR code anytime you want without having to re-print the QR code. You can easily update them about the changes in your product, and they can instantly access such information by scanning the QR code.
QR codes in marketing pique customer’s curiosity – customized QR codes can spark customers’ curiosity, and many brands are using them as part of their effective marketing strategy.
Read more: What is MysteryQR?