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You may have seen these recently in numerous places, you may already know people speaking about them within the realm of mobile and wondered what the heck they are. Quick response codes (called “QR” codes) are a very convenient way to display a small bit of information which is easily scanned and processed typically by smartphones allowing physical items to almost become interactive, by providing information that is effortlessly scanned like a site URL.
To make a simpler analogy, many people are aware of Universal Product codes (referred to as UPC codes). Everything you buy at the super market (and almost any store these days) has one of those that the cashier will scan. The computer then immediately knows exactly what the product is according to the code which it picked up.
Does anyone remember the days of grocery shopping and also the cashier had to punch within the prices and codes for each and every item you purchased. They had to memorize most of these in their head and if they forgot? They had to pick up the loud mobile device, make an announcement in the store asking for someone in that department to enable them to out.
Think of QR codes as UPC codes but instead they are utilized in a lot broader spectrum, not just 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’re at a trade show and you are walking by my booth. You want to find out additional information about my company, so you open up your phone and start fumbling away trying redirect to http://www.blurb.com type in some long URL (that is on my display) into your browser, and off you go.
The additional option could be for me to display a QR code (on my display), you take your smartphone and scan it just like cashiers scan items at the super market, and also 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 transport. You may place these little codes anywhere. Those with free scanners on their own smartphones (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 within their stores. I was recently sitting down to possess a bite to eat at the one in Yorkville Toronto, as well as on the table where I was sitting was a table tent with two Quick Response codes. It was obvious where they might 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 thinking 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 would not, too much effort) I could pick up my mobile device, scan the QR code and automatically open each page!
