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The ABCs of QRs

By Jeanie J. Clapp

You’ve seen them. You’ve probably scanned them. They’re simple to create, easy to use and great marketing tools. So what exactly are they?

QR (Quick Response) codes are two-dimensional matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of data. The type of information and the size of the code affect how much data each code can store. When read with a camera-enabled smartphone, the code will link users to digital content on the Internet. While QR codes have been around since the early 90s, it was with the recent explosion of smartphones and barcode-scanning apps that customers have been accessing QR codes in significant numbers.

According to comScore.com, more than 14 million Americans scanned a QR code on their mobile phone in June 2011, representing 6.2 percent of the entire mobile population in the U.S. This number is sure to escalate based on the nature of the rapidly expanding technological environment in which we live.

There are a vast amount of QR code generators, such as KAYWA, BeQRious, and Maestro, which are the vehicles by which the codes are created, available online these days. A business simply needs to determine what it wants stored on the QR code, find a generator and let the Internet take over from there. If a company wishes to include a URL, KAYWA might be the appropriate generator. If, however, the code directs users to maps or YouTube, BeQRious or Maestro might be better options. A comprehensive list of QR generators can be found here.

Codes can be simple black and white patterns or contain advanced features such as color, images or creative building blocks style.

In order to scan the code, users need a QR Code Reader. Some of the readers available today include QuickMark Mobile, ScanLife Reader, and BeeTagg Reader. More and more readers are continually launched. A quick search on the Internet will present a plethora of reader options.

With one quick scan, customers can be directed to a company’s website, a Facebook page, maps/directions, YouTube, to name a few. The possibilities, really, are endless.

QR codes can be included on business cards, brochures, advertisements, as well as on the sides of trucks and/or trailers. Anywhere a patron might see it and be encouraged to learn more. The critical point here is the customer should have a reason to scan the code, meaning the landing page should be creative, unique and compelling. The effort to scan and read the QR code should be rewarded with interesting and educating information.

For instance, during the holiday season of 2011, retailer JCPenney allowed customers to add a personal touch to their gifts. When a gift was purchased from any JCPenney store, a "Santa Tag" with an accompanying QR code was included. By scanning the code, the giver could record a personalized voice message for the recipient. Then the giver stuck the code on the package like a gift card.

QR codes should be placed in locations where they can easily be scanned. The codes should be tested on every phone, every platform and on as many QR code readers as possible to ensure they successfully link potential customers to the right place. They should connect users to the best possible version of the final product. For instance, if a company doesn’t have a mobile version of its website, it should create one in order to optimize the experience.

With the likelihood that the number of QR code users will substantially increase, companies should take advantage and embrace this market now. QR codes are free, easy to obtain and user-friendly. What’s not to like?

Jeanie J. Clapp is editor-in-chief of AGC's Constructor magazine. She can be reached at constructor@naylor.com.