A 2014 survey suggested that 26% of people in the UK had used a QR code. A lot has changed since then.
In September 2020, research indicates that 46.7% of consumers think that there’s been a significant increase in the use of QR codes.
Figures show a significant 96% growth in QR code reach from 2018 to 2020. There is also a big growth in interactions per object. This means that people are scanning the same code multiple times.
People are finding QR codes useful and have increased confidence in them. This increase coincides with the rise of the smartphone and with the whole mobile-first approach to online business and commerce.
How Relevant are QR Codes Today?
Even as recently as 2019, If you’d asked this question, you might still have had people questioning the relevance of QR codes.
But now the pandemic has changed perceptions about the usefulness of QR codes and, more importantly, has helped more people develop the habit of using them routinely.
It is this familiarity with QR codes that should help brands and marketers maximise their potential.
Dynamic QR codes can incorporate helpful metrics for tracking and analysing data such as the number, time and location of each user scan and the type of device being used to scan the code.
How Are People Using QR Codes?
The QR code has become something we use and rely on in our everyday lives.
During the tentative reopening of the hospitality industry post-lockdown, customers became accustomed to checking into venues then ordering drinks and food from menus using QR codes.
If you take a UK government-approved lateral flow test, there’s a QR code printed on the test strip that enables you to report your results.
The QR code is a perfect touch-free method for engagement. But its potential stretches far beyond social distancing concerns.
As scanning QR codes become second nature for consumers, so this medium can be a way of offering people different options and experiences. This applies in the digital world, but also in physical locations and on the packaging.
Enhancing the In-Store Experience
Physical retailers can present customers with a more joined-up way of encountering their brand by using QR codes.
Nike’s flagship House of Innovation 000 store in New York has QR codes throughout that add value and a whole new dimension to the customer experience.
Members who have the Nike app can scan mannequins in the store, which then prompts store assistants to bring items to them in their chosen colour and size to try on.
There’s also the option to skip the queues for payment using the Nike app, via the QR code, to self-checkout at an instant checkout station.
If in-store customers need to contact customer services, they can access this support quickly using a QR code.
QR codes can give them access to discount coupons and various offers and allow them to sign up for newsletters, emails and promotions. Plus, they provide an instant gateway to social media.
These various QR code applications blur the line between the physical in-store experience and the customer’s digital interaction with the brand.
QR Codes and Connected Packaging
Product packaging influences purchasing decisions. It can influence consumers by up to 70%.
But there are other ways in which packaging can influence consumer behaviours, through QR codes.
They can help to encourage customers to engage with the brand, providing additional information about the brand and the product itself.
This is especially useful in an age where many consumers wish to make ethical decisions about their purchases. Brands can help them to do this by providing them with information about sustainability and other ethical issues.
Connected packaging can drive engagement in other ways too. QR codes can provide access to competitions and videos as well as information. Brands can use them to launch online quizzes and augmented reality experiences.
And while connected packaging provides entertainment and education to customers, it’s a source of valuable data for brands. They can use this to analyse consumer behaviour or pinpoint locations where engagement is at its highest.
How Will People Use QR Codes in the Future?
As QR codes have become more versatile, so using them has become more straightforward.
There’s likely to be a continuing normalisation of QR code usage in key areas of people’s lives.
One example is their use in digital payments. QR codes can use open banking infrastructure to enable consumers to make secure, safe payments directly from their own devices.
According to the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE), open banking payment volumes increased 600% between 2020 and 2021.
The evidence suggests that not only are QR codes here to stay but that more and more of us are using them routinely and confidently.
Put Your Packaging Ahead of the Curve
QR codes offer near-limitless opportunities for brands to build relationships and engage in extended and targeted marketing campaigns using packaging as an effective delivery mechanism.
Contact us to discover how to leverage the potential and potency of QR codes for your marketing.