You could have seen these recently in numerous places, you may have often heard people speaking about them within the realm of mobile and wondered just what the heck they may be. Quick response codes (known as “QR” codes) are a very convenient way to display a small bit of information that is easily scanned and processed typically by mobile phones allowing physical items to almost become interactive, by providing information that is quickly scanned like a site URL.

To make a simpler analogy, lots of people have an understanding of Universal Product codes (called UPC codes). Everything you buy at the grocery store (and almost any store these days) has one of those that the cashier will scan. The computer then immediately knows what the product is depending on the code which it picked up.

Does anyone remember the days of grocery shopping and the cashier had to punch within the prices and codes for just about every item you purchased. They had to memorize these types of within their head and if they forgot? They had to pick up the loud phone, make an announcement in the store asking for somebody in that department to help them to out.

Think of QR codes as UPC codes but instead they’re employed in a significantly broader spectrum, not only to ‘identify’ products but to convey ‘information’ of some kind.

The most basic (and popular use) of Quick Response codes is to display website information (a web page address). Lets say you are at a trade show and you are walking by my booth. You want to find out more information about my company, so you get into your phone and start fumbling away trying to type in some long URL (that’s on my display) into your browser, and off you go.

The additional option would be for me to display a QR code (on my display), you take your smartphone and scan it the same as cashiers scan items at the grocery store, as well as your mobile phone automatically starts loading my website, how is that for convenience?

What about billboards outside on the street, or bus shelters while waiting for public transportation. You may place these little codes anywhere. People with free scanners on their own mobile phones (iPhones, BlackBerrys, Androids, Nokia, etc.) can quickly scan the code and find out additional information, like opening up a site.

Whole Foods Market (popular in the US/Canada) uses these in their stores. I was recently sitting down to have a bite to eat at the one in Yorkville Toronto, and also on the table where I was sitting was a table tent with two Quick Response codes. It was obvious where they would take me if I scanned them, one would take me to their Twitter account, and also the other would take me to their Facebook page.

If I was serious about checking out their Twitter or Facebook page, rather than opening up each respective app and going to the search function and typing in their name etc. (I likely wouldn’t, too much effort) I could pick up my mobile phone, scan the qr code services code and automatically open each page!