2020: QR Codes are back and more useful?
With the COVID-19 disaster, QR Code powered solutions came to our rescue.
China used QR Codes as a way to decontaminate visitors at their checkpoints. Singapore is using QR Codes to make sure contactless visitor entry and to facilitate community contact tracing. Across the globe, QR Codes are being used in contactless delivery, pickup, and contactless payments.
Have you heard of QR codes already? Here is a brief introduction:
What Are QR codes?
A QR code is a matrix barcode and it was first designed in 1994 in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable label that contains information about an item to which it is attached. In practice, QR codes often contain data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website. A QR code uses four standardized encoding modes to store data.
A QR code consists of black squares arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device such as a camera, and processed using Reed–Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. The required data is then extracted from patterns that are present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image.
How could you use a QR code?
A business, no matter how small or big it is – innovation is part of its growth. You could also use the QR Code in many different ways.
You could add one to your business card containing your contact details so it’s easy for someone to add you to their contacts on their cell phone.
You can also take advantage of adding the following details to your QR code/barcode for easy generation, access, and scanning.
- Product Label
- Contact Details
- Offer Details
- Event Details
- Competition Information
- Social Media Links
Will your Client use it?
Today, most of us and especially the customers are using QR codes already for easy access and a more efficient way to shop. Those that do use QR codes have high tech know-how and may be more receptive to your presence on the website, your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, etc.
How to Scan a QR Code?
These are the steps on how you can successfully scan a Quick Response (QR) code using your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- Open the Camera app from the Home screen, Control Center, or Lock screen.
- Select the rear-facing camera. Hold your device so that the QR code appears in the viewfinder in the Camera app. Your device recognizes the QR code and shows a notification.
- Tap the notification to open the link associated with the QR code.
List of the Best QR Code
Backed by several years of experience, QR code is a handy online tool that helps individuals create and save codes instantly. It comes with a free version, but if you want to access additional features, you need to subscribe to the premium version. Its outstanding features include the ability to display PDFs, change code designs, encode multiple URLs in one code, and track scans and display analytics with reports, among others.
Owing to its high-end technology and tons of exciting features, Visualead is a step ahead of all its competitors. It boasts state-of-the-art QR Code technology and top-tier expertise in computational math, machine learning, and computer eyesight. With Visualead, you can design creative, branded, and useful QR codes that deliver more scans, leads, mobile-optimized content, and social engagements.
QR-Code Monkey is one of the most famous QR code generators that are offered for free. Millions of users have created codes using this tool due to its unique features. These include high-res QR code, custom design, and colors, lifetime offer of unlimited scans, powerful design, and many more. It is the best code generator for those who want to create codes with a logo.
Unlike other code generators whose primary function is to craft codes, QRStuff acts as both an online QR code creator and a QR code generator. It boasts a steadfast reputation of churning permanent codes that don’t expire and are 100% ads-free. It lets you create smartphone-readable 2D barcodes and QR codes that can be branded on a T-Shirt.
What can be the benefit of using QR Codes in Business?
The main benefit of a QR code is its flexibility. QR codes can be used for almost everything. They are also advantageous for both customers and businesses. For example, a business can save money and advertisement costs by giving out a QR code to their website then a customer can scan this QR code and it will allow them to store the info for their future reference.
What’s also great about QR codes is that can go over different forms of marketing. For example, e-commerce and mobile commerce can both used QR codes. This acts as a link and it also exhibits customers to some other forms of advertisement that the business or service has. This maximizes showing and can produce revenue.
QR codes can be a helpful tool to better engage with your audience, but not if it isn’t driving value.
If your brand is using QR codes, make sure they’re enhancing the user experience above all else. They should be easily assessable, well-optimized for the user’s current needs, and relevant to what they’re looking for.
Despite having been around for decades, QR codes never became the revolutionary marketing strategy that businesses and marketers hoped.
In 2020, marketers, business owners, and founders are incorporating QR codes into their marketing strategy.
Conclusion
Nowadays, we have to always monitor if the technology for our business is necessary. QR Codes are useful and it will be a great opportunity to grow and connect with the help of this application.
So, keep an eye for QR codes in advertising as this trend continues to grow. If you’re interested in adding one to your upcoming campaign you can give it a shot.