Visibility of QR codes on packaging, advertising and in-store on signage and products has been on the increase for a number of years now – but what you may not know is exactly how quickly that QR Code visibility is increasing. Recent data from the marketing firm Nellymoser (data collected from 1,228 consumers), shows that there was an 81% increase in the number of the US top 100 magazines using QR codes in just 7 short months, from November 2010 to May 2011. In November 2010, just 9% of the magazines had used at least one mobile barcode and in May of 2011, well over 90% of those magazines had used one.
81% increase in top 100 magazines using QR codes
As this technology pop up in more and more places, you can now find QR Codes on business cards, at the end of television adverts and on shop storefronts, users’ awareness of them is on the increase. But whilst many people have seen QR Codes around and can identify them when shown one, a relatively small percentage of those same people have actually heard of QR Codes. A study done in October 2011 showed that whilst 81% of internet users surveyed could identify a Code when shown one, a whopping 79% of those same individuals had never heard of them when asked what they were. Strangely enough, many people learn what a QR code is and what it can do before they learn what it is actually called.
People are unfamiliar with the name “QR Code” but 81% knows what they are
Because 2-D barcodes are being seen in more and more places, it’s therefore very important that marketers keep up with the demand for quality content and also the platforms used to scan the codes. There are a huge number of scanners available on the market, some of which are freeware, some of which are paid software – and it seems as though the freeware may be of a much poorer quality than the paid software. Consumers were overall 50% more satisfied when using paid QR scanners than when using freeware, which suggests that there does need to be a quality QR scanner made available on the freeware market.
Top reasons to scan a QR Code
What’s in it for the consumer?
Chadwick Martin Bailey released data earlier this month which outlined exactly what consumers are looking for when they scan a QR code. A massive 46% of them were simply curious as to what the QR code could do, whilst 41% of them scanned a code to get more information about a product, brand or deal. Other reasons for scanning a QR code included to take advantage of a special gift or offer (18%), to gain access to exclusive content (16%) and to buy something (6%). Although this data shows that over half of consumers who have used QR codes have used them to their advantage, it also shows that just under half of consumers only scanned the code out of curiosity, which could mean that once everyone knows what QR codes do, the curiosity factor could wear off, unless the content has real value to those that scan. Marketers need to think carefully about mindsets – what’s in it for the consumer: will it save them time? Will it save them money? If you can solve both then you’re onto a winner.
QR codes can now be seen everywhere – so it’s important for marketers to create quality content, perhaps in the form of exclusive news or exclusive offers so that consumers don’t get bored with these super-useful barcodes.
