The QR code, a type of barcode that has fast readability and greater storage capacity than a standard bar code, was developed in 1994 by a Japanese automotive company.  They were initial used in the production environment to track vehicles during manufacturing as it allowed for high-speed component scanning. It took a while but the usage of codes expanded and first started showing up in marketing in 2011. 

Although it seemed like they were everywhere for a while, they never really caught on. Why?  Not everyone had a smart phone and even if you did, you had to download an app to be able to read them.

Fast forward 10 years and 86.1% of households in Canada have at least one smartphone and they’re using them for more than calling and texting.  Data usage has increased 45% since 2017 and studies show that Canadians spend just over half of their digital time on smartphones. Phones developed over the last 5 years no longer require an app to read a QR code, you just use your camera.

Add in a pandemic when consumers did not want to be touching items others had touched and it was time to revisit QR codes. All of a sudden, it was a contactless way to make information immediately available to customers. The restaurant industry embraced QR codes for diners to access menus and as more people started using the codes, marketers became more interested in seeing other possibilities.

QR codes had come a long way during this time.  One of the original marketing failings with QR codes was that they didn’t really have a call to action. Scanning the code might have taken you to a website but they were not much more sophisticated than that.

Now, codes can take you websites, coupons, social media, videos, app downloads and more!  They can make a customer's experience easier, leading to more action.  For example, you can have a sign up asking people to visit your website to leave a review or you can have a QR code that takes them directly to a page where they can enter their review in minutes. A customer wants your contact information?  You can hand them your business card and they can type all of the information in their phone or they can scan a code that has a button to immediately put your contact information in their phone.

Simple static codes, ones that will always provide the same information or link, can be created for free. Google "free qr code" and you'll be presented with various options to create QR codes. 

Dynamic codes have a short url (web address) in the code and so you can adjust the information the consumer sees when they scan the code and can be edited in real time. For example, if you have a monthly coupon, your customers can scan the same QR code each month and see the new coupon.  In comparison, if you were using a static code, the customer would see the same coupon every time it is scanned.

There are various QR generating sites that have paid subscription options for generating dynamic codes. They can also provide tracking on how many times codes have been scanned as well as other information about when and where codes were scanned.

QR codes can be obvious for printing posters and signs, but did you know they can also be included on promotional merchandise?  Using QR codes on promotional merchandise can help deliver more brand information or a call to action, taking a simple PROMO giveaway into an ongoing connection with that consumer.

Are they here to stay? Only time will tell. But now that they are easier for your consumer to use and store the information on their smartphone, the place they most frequently use to access information, the future looks pretty good!

We thought we'd run a little test.  Will people scan a code for a chance to win a PROMO prize pack?  All you have to do is scan the code below to send us a quick email (it will all be filled out for you) and we'll enter you in our draw! 

We'll be doing our draw on Friday, March 25th. Email addresses will only be used to contact winners to get shipping information and will not be shared or added to our database.  Contest is open to Canadian residents only and will be shipped via Canada Post to winners at no charge.