You’ve seen this funky-looking square box that kind of looks like a “scratch-and-win” box! Best Buy has them on all of their shelf product tags. They are called a QR Code (Quick Response). The QR Code on this blog post is for The Idea People. To read it, you need a Smartphone and a scanner download application. That’s it! Then all you do is activate your scanner application and it takes a photo of the QR code and “reads” it.
A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smart phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.
Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the initialism of Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.
Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging).
QR Codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or on just about any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone’s browser.
So why do you care about QR Codes? Why should your business have any need for a QR Code? The answer, as you can imagine, is very simple. These impactful little pieces of technology can totally change how you market and represent your business’ products and services. Imagine the possibilities for mobile marketing? Imagine the possibilities for in-field and sales use? Now you’re thinking.
If you would like more information about QR Codes and how they can impact your business, please call Jay Joyce at The Idea People at 704-398-4437 or email jay@theideapeople.com.
