Knowing about QR Codes vs. Using Them

by Chuck Martin, Yesterday, 2:44 PM

While mobile scanning is still a distance from mass consumer usage, it hasn’t stopped the proliferation of codes on packaging and signage.
For QR code proponents, the good news is that most people at least know what they are. The bad news, of course, is that most people have never scanned one.
Some new research in the Mobile Commerce Compendium shows that 91% know what a QR code is but 65% have never scanned one in-store.
The eConsultancy study is based on a Toluna survey of 1,000 UK consumers looking at smartphone behaviors. It found that more than a third (36%) had used a map tool in the previous week, so shoppers potentially are looking for physical stores.
The study also showed that about a quarter (27%) had used a smartphone to shop online but that more than half (51%) had not made a purchase.
For QR code scanning in stores, a quarter of consumers have scanned at least once.
A recent report from Scanbuy, one of the major QR code platform companies, showed that there were 18 million scans of QR codes and UPC mobile barcodes the first quarter of this year.
That research also indicated scanning is on the rise, with the latest month in the study being the highest-generating month since the company began tracking scans in 2009.
It strikes me that there are two separate issues around QR codes: the number of codes proliferating and the number of people actually scanning them.
There’s little doubt that QR codes are growing, whether in magazines, or on billboards, signage or packaging. The government in Abu Dhabi is even putting QR codes on street signs so people can access historical information, as well as accurate addresses.
The move to mass consumer adoption is the other side of the QR code coin.
In terms of those who do scan, Scanbuy found that 65% of the scans are by men and 35% by women. The company also saw higher  usage from Android phones (57%) than Apple iOS devices (35%).
They key for mobile scanning is what each scan leads to. (This issue will be addressed in a session at the MediaPost OMMA mCommerce conference in New York on July 15).
We’re well past the stage of a QR code simply replicating a URL, leading a consumer to a traditional website. They can be used to facilitate a purchase, start a conversation via SMS or MMS or provide a relevant video.
The problem with QR codes has never been the codes themselves but rather the lack of valuable experiences on the other end.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203679/knowing-about-qr-codes-vs-using-them.html?goback=%2Egde_100358_member_254698806#ixzz2XumFChu9

The Three Rules of QR Codes

By Roger ⋅ September 14, 2009 ⋅ Email this post ⋅ Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The three rules of QR Codes are not rocket science and are pretty much self evident. However this has not stopped some advertising agencies breaking the rules and handing their clients a poorly performing or dysfunctional campaign. This post is an extension of three previous posts in which using a mobile device friendly landing page, QR Code size and content were discussed. If you see any additional examples, good or bad, please share them in a comment below.

1st Rule: Mobilize the landing page

Breaking the rule: Antony McGregor Dey, CEO Qmcodes, spotted this poster for Jacobs Creek wine and the opportunity to win tickets to the Australian open. The QR Code resolved to the non-mobilized company website with a linked banner proclaiming “Mobile phone users click here for the Australian open promotion”. That link too went to a non-mobilized page! (The link and offending page has now been removed).

Keeping the rule: In recent newspaper advertisements Fendi have also chosen to use a QR Code that decodes to their main site urlhttp://www.fendi.com. However if you are accessing the site with a mobile device they are using user agent detection to redirect to their mobile websitehttp://mobile.fendi.com/. The Fendi mobile site is quite comprehensive and gives a choice of languages, Italian or English.

Original post: Italian Fashion House Discovers QR Codes

 

2nd Rule: Keep the url short

Breaking the rule: The QR Code in this advertisement for Ralph Lauren in New York magazine decodes as http://m.ralphlauren.com/default.aspx?ab=nym, an unnecessarily long url. The QR Code could have been smaller and encoded with a higher level of error correction (ECL) if a url shortener had been used, such as http://3.ly/9Xe.

Original post: Ralph Lauren QR Codes

Keeping the rule: When Dicks Sporting Goods launched their new m-commerce site with a giant QR Code at a ball game, they did not use a subdomain of their existing site. They chose instead to use a new domain and a much shorter url http://dsports.mobi/ which encoded as a smaller QR Code.

Original post: QR Code on the World’s Largest HDTV

3rd Rule: Make the content valuable

Breaking the rule: Siemans latest newspaper advertisements have a QR Code that resolves to a url well and truly breaking the 2nd Rulehttp://m.siemens.com/en/answers/climate_change_energy_supply.htm. It gets worse, the reward for reaching the “Climate change and energy supply” section of Siemens global mobile website is a series of short paragraphs on combined-cycle power plants, HVDC transmission lines and performance contracting. These are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Where is the engagement? Where is the climate change and energy supply game/quiz with prizes, for example? If someone has gone to the trouble of decoding your QR Code the last thing they want to see is bland content, instead give then something valuable.

Original post: Siemens QR Code Advertisement

Keeping the rule: The good things about this Suntory QR Code are firstly it’s on a beer can :), secondly the QR Code resolves to a mobile site where visitors can offset 100g of CO2 once per day and feel good about it and thirdly there is a daily lottery with the chance of winning cash prizes. In other words, valuable content that engages the visitor and makes the decoding of the QR Code worthwhile.

Original post: Beer, Carbon Offset and a QR Code Campaign

 

Quaker Oats Enlists QR Codes, Facebook – and Nick Jonas

Christopher Heine  |  September 14, 2011 

Quaker Oats Company last week kicked off a six-month campaign for its granola bar line that incorporates pop star Nick Jonas, QR codes, Facebook, and online video.
If in-store customers with smart phones scan a QR code on the box of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, they can watch a video message from Jonas on their devices. In the recording, the pop star encourages the consumer by first name to buy the product, while purchasers get a code inside the box that will get them a shareable e-card from him. While the QR code is on the back of the box, the front of the packaging targets mothers with the copy: "Send your kids a custom message from Nick Jonas!"
The box also advertises the opportunity to log onto ChewySuperstar.com/nickgreetz, where consumers can enter an e-card code from the back of the product box and then choose to send people a "Happy Birthday," "Good Luck," or "Congratulations" voice message from Jonas. The messages can be personalized according to recipients' names. The same execution can be attained by "liking" the brand on its Facebook page and entering the e-card code.
The overall effort employs StarGreetz's e-cards and personalization technology. Eric Frankel, CEO of the Santa Monica, CA-based firm, said the system acquires the user's name for the video message personalization by making an API call to Facebook's server. The user must tap an "Allow" button to view the Jonas video, while giving the campaign app permission to access his or her name.
"Social media allows us to develop a strong relationship with our consumers through direct, one-to-one engagement with our fans," stated Nidhin Mattappally, associate marketing manager at Quaker Oats' parent PepsiCo, in an email to ClickZ News. In the campaign, the marketing team "wanted to make sure that we provided a new and unique way that moms could engage with their kids. The customization element of Nick saying your name and delivering a message that was relevant for mom fit well with this goal."

Infographic: How People Use QR Codes

 

Wed, Aug 10, 2011


Ahh the ever lasting QR code debate… I used to have a poll here that tallied up thousands of votes around QR codes, with the overwhelming response that QR codes are completely over rated, because most people still don’t have a reader. It’s still a hot topic here in the office, so it was great to find this infographic on them, created by the guys at Lab42. (hit tip Alicia!)
Almost 60% of people say they are NOT familiar with QR codes at all. Meanwhile, 46% of people who use QR codes, scan them for discounts. And 42% of those people have used them as a Ticket, with 62% of those saying it was a concert ticket. Take a look for yourself below!

Virtual Stores Drive Tesco Growth In Korea

Turning waiting time into shopping time

Everyone knows that building new retail stores is expensive and takes a lot of time. But what if building a new store could be as easy as printing a poster?
Global food chain Tesco was finding it hard to compete in the Korean market, until they decided to do just that.
Check out this very cool use of mobile!

The Situation

Koreans are one of the hardest working populations in the world, and as a consequence they tend to prefer to do their shopping in stores near their home. This makes it is quicker and more convenient, and better fits their busy lifestyle.
Tesco - operating in Korea under the local brand Homeplus - had fewer physical store locations than E-Mart, the #1 chain in the market. And this was putting Tesco at a competitive disadvantage.
Rather than embarking on an expensive, time-consuming program to construct lots of additional retail shops, Tesco teamed up with advertising agency Cheil Worldwide to develop the Virtual Store concept, and turned Seoul’s subway stations into Homeplus grocery stores.

The Campaign

Basically, Cheil printed large posters that looked just like the shelves in a normal Homeplus store, complete with all the various products that customers would expect to find in a grocery store. These were then mounted on the walls in subway stations to create a virtual grocery store in the subway.

The result was actually a quite realistic grocery store, the only difference was that while the customers were waiting for their subway trains, they could their smartphones to shop!
Here’s how it worked:

The Results

Tesco Homeplus believes that the campaign was very successful, with over 10,000 people doing their shopping in the virtual store.
In addition, Tesco Homeplus saw their online sales rise over 130% as a result of the campaign, and they are now the #1 online market in Korea.

Why it works: Tapping into consumer habits

The interesting thing about this campaign is that it applies new technology to deliver a new service, but it is all based on a very established consumer habit.
People have been doing their shopping by browsing products on store shelves for many many years, and Tesco simply used new mobile technology to move that same experience into a more convenient location, thus enabling people to turn their waiting time into shopping time.
Here is a video of the service in action.