It is predicted that by the end of 2011, smartphones will have made up at least half of the mobile market. Though this does mean that using QR codes offers businesses a significant opportunity to reach new and current customers, very few of them are properly executing their plans.
Businesses and mobile marketers are rapidly adopting this technology, incorporating QR codes into their mobile marketing mix. Those that are successful have also identified that the codes are not the point in themselves, but are only the means by which a clear objective can be reached. They must be implemented through a strategy that aligns with the customer’s use of the device so that he or she may engage with the business, brand, or individual product.
QR codes provide the chance to provide customers with a meaningful product or brand experience that offers a simple and convenient way to learn more, share through social networking sites, or even go directly through a point of sale. Therefore, it makes a great deal of sense that the barcodes are appearing in magazines, catalogs, lawn and business signs, in direct mailers, retail product tags, and in store windows.
The key to success appears to be in the clear value that is offered to the customer who scans the code. It must be worth having downloaded an app to enable the device to actually make the scan, and then to pursue the interaction with whatever the QR code has to offer. Already, this is an increasingly popular behavior among customers seeking to comparison shop or gather further information about a certain offering.
QR code marketing remains in its very earliest stages. It is important for companies to continue to experiment, but they must also build on their successes as well as the achievements they observe through the efforts of others. Instead of viewing the technology as a surface-level technique, it should be explored with depth so that its potential for engaging with customers can best be understood.
