What is a QR Code?

It’s the next step up from a bar code and holds a lot more information than a bar code – 7,098 numeric characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters.

Readers are available for most smartphones and mobile devices so they can be used to bridge the gap between offline and online via in-store signage, business cards, trade show flyers, etc.

QR codes originated in Japan and they’re highly popular in that country.

How can you use a QR Code?

QR codes can store URLs, text or phone numbers.  In this way they’re very handy for mobile because they eliminate the need for the user to type – a big usability/user experience improvement.

Several sites that provide content are adding QR codes – Facebook (for fan pages and individual statuses) and Google places (links to your Google places page).

There’s also speculation that QR codes will influence SEO over time.

Why haven’t I heard of a QR code before?

They’re slowly gaining popularity in the US and Europe.  Currently, most smartphones don’t come with a QR code reader pre-installed.  This is a big barrier.  If a user needs to install a new app they have to be motivated to do so.  It’s not as simple as scan and go.  And as you all know, in mobile it needs to be simple.

Qdoba did a Buy 1 Get 1 Free mobile advertising campaign last year and got a 52% redemption rate on approximately 4,000 scans.  Lesson – if you give users a good reason to download an app they will.

Look for more smartphones to come with a QR reader in the near future before this technology really takes off.  As a comparison, 70% of smartphones in Japan come with a QR reader pre-installed.

And just to keep things interesting, Microsoft released their own 2D bar code (theirs has color).

Where can I get a QR Code reader?

• Android – Google Goggles (installed by default on Android phones) will scan QR Codes
• iPhone – link runs an App Store search for QR Code
• Blackberry – There a good list at RIMarkable (be sure to check the comments too)
• Kaywa – supports Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony