QR code use varies throughout Europe
The response from consumers regarding QR codes has been divided. Many mobile consumers have shown disinterest in the codes because they do not offer adequate incentive to encourage these people to scan them. Others have begun avoiding the codes because of suspicion that they may be linked to malicious content. In Europe, QR codes are faring quite well, having shown a resistance to nefarious manipulations as well as many companies providing rewarding incentives. The codes are most popular in the United Kingdom and Germany, but consumers in one country have shown that they are more accepting of the codes than others.
SKOPOS study shows that QR codes an effective marketing tool in Germany
A new study from SKOPOS, a market consultancy firm, shows that more German consumers have scanned QR codes than those in the UK. The study found that 24% of German consumers made use of QR codes versus the 12% of UK consumers that used them. The data was compiled from smart phone owners that knew what QR codes were and how to use the. SKOPOS believes that the popularity of the codes in Germany may be the result of the actions of the country’s various businesses.
German companies backed QR codes aggressively in 2010-2011
According to the study, German companies had invested heavily in QR codes and mobile marketing adoption during 2010 and 2011. This rampant support for the codes and new marketing initiatives made QR codes more appealing to consumers because German companies offered valuable incentives for those that scanned them. As more people made use of the codes, those that had avoided them in the past began to feel as though they were missing out on something.
Codes linked to rewards could provide adequate incentive for consumer interaction
SKOPOS notes that the most successful QR code campaigns in Europe have been those that are linked to rewards. Consumers scanning these codes are able to receive benefits from a simple action. The firm believes that this type of incentive would be enough to make QR codes exceedingly popular around the world, as long as the campaigns they are used for are mobile-friendly.
