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Types of QR Code | QRcode.com | DENSO WAVE

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Descriptions of various types of QR Code

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WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE FOR QR CODE? (A158425)

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WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE FOR QR CODE? (A158425)

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Perhaps it was around the same time that advertisers started putting really tiny ones on posters, plastered on Underground walls on the wrong side of the platform, thereby making users dangle their arms over the train tracks smartphone in hands, oblivious to an oncoming train about to rip their arms off.

I might have made that last bit up, but if you live outside of London you'd be forgiven for thinking it's true.

Perhaps I need a more scientific approach to gauge popular consensus on the use of QR codes.

Here's a flow chart recently shared around the internet that helps companies decide if they might need a QR code or not.

That clears that up then.

Why the antipathy?

Graham Charlton covers a few hilariously ill-advised examples in his article QR codes: the good, the bad and the ugly including...

Scan for terms and conditions...

Who cares? I mean, really... who cares?

Hotpants...

So wrong. For so many reasons.

Oh wait, I was wrong...

I genuinely thought I was making that Underground example up.

There are so many absurd examples of bad QR placement, check out 10 examples of QR code madness for some of my favourite examples, including the death inviting back of a lorry.

Erroneous and at times dangerous placement isn't the only misuse of the QR code. Too often QR codes lead to sites that haven't been mobile optimised, or to landing pages different from what was initially promised.

QR codes are a victim of rabid technological excitement. An interesting idea that has been pounced on by the late majority without any proper planning or thought and turned into a gimmicky butt of all marketing jokes.

So that's QR codes ruined then. What's next?
Here are some alternatives to QR codes...
Augmented Reality

AR is no longer just for enhancing advertising campaigns, there are now many more practical applications of the technology

Ikea has introduced an AR app to enhance its 2014 catalogue, all the customer needs to do is place the 2014 catalogue in any space within their home, activate the app, and they can see exactly how a virtual Billy bookcase or Ektorp sofa fits into the real-time environment.

Marvel has played a large part of the push to build a bridge between print and digital content since mid 2012.

With the Marvel AR app, you read through your physical comic book, looking out for the small symbol in the corner of a panel, then hold your smartphone or tablet over the page and quickly you're transported to exclusive content and behind the scenes footage.

You don't need to point or scan at any point in particular like with the QR code, you just generally hover over that page.

NFC

Near field communication is the term used for the information exchange between two devices. It's short-range, low powered and highly accurate way for your mobile phone to act as a credit or debit card, a loyalty card, a travel card and more.

For instance, Orange's QuickTap that let's you purchase sandwiches from Pret a Manger or EAT with just the tap of a smartphone. NFC tags on adverts and posters in shops or in the street can offer you discounts or information based on your preferences by a tap of your phone.

iBeacons

iBeacon is Apple's version of NFC. It's a brand name that will likely fall into our general vocabulary as the popularised term for NFC. If you have an iOS7 enabled device, you already have an iBeacon and an Apple account. Once you've downloaded a specific app, this is all iBeacons need to work.

Apple has introduced this into its stores. Customers are greeted on their iPhone as they walk through the door, are shown product information, offered promotions and the ability to pay without queuing.

Major League Baseball in the US has been using iBeacons too. Micro-locations were created inside and outside of stadiums, where fans who had the specific app installed, could be sent relevant content. Team information, map of the stadium, a digital copy of their ticket and merchandise offers.

Clickable Paper

Much like AR this technology, introduced a couple of years ago by Ricoh, lets you click on an image rather than a tiny little code.

The related information is displayed as an overlay across the image, with multiple tabs linking to different types of links, media or social buttons/

Google Goggles

Google Goggles is an app that allows the user to find out all kinds of useful information about anything they take a photo of. Imagine something like a reverse Google image search.

Take a photo of a painting or a landmark, you will then be served results on that object in the same way that a text search would. You can also scan business cards in and add them to your contacts. You can even translate foreign text with it.

Although it doesn't work on animals yet.

SnapTag

Managing to combine the twin buzz terms of SnapChat and hashtag in one piece of branding, this mobile marketing app is different from other bits of tech by adding functionality to a company's own logo.

This basically turns your brand's logo into an adaptable tool, that can be scanned anywhere a user sees it and taken to any marketing message, link or promotion a brand wishes to direct them to.
If you have seen any more decent examples of alternatives to QR codes, please let us know in the comments below. 10 practical uses for QR codes in China

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Six mobile marketing alternatives to QR codes - Econsultancy

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Oh QR code, how did you fall from grace so soon? Perhaps it was around the same time that advertisers started putting really tiny ones on posters, plastered on Underground walls on the wrong side of the platform, thereby making users dangle their arms over the train tracks smartphone in hands, oblivious to an oncoming train about to rip their arms off.

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The first security standard for QR codes is Encrypted QR codes, or EQRs. We will propose two kinds of EQRs: Symmetric EQRs (SEQR) and Public Key EQRs (PKEQR). In SEQRs we use a symmetric encryption scheme where both the reader and the writer of the EQR share a secret key. The encryption scheme is extremely straightforward: encrypt the bits of the message using AES block cipher with the shared secret key. In PKEQRs we use the RSA public key encryption scheme combined with AES, using a public RSA key to encrypt the AES key and including the encrypted key in the message. The only thing to note with these two methods is that the error correction bits should correct errors on the encrypted message, not the message itself, in order to avoid leaking information of the original message.

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WHERE CAN YOU PUT/PRINT THE QR CODE? (A157743)

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WHERE CAN YOU PUT/PRINT THE QR CODE? (A157743)

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QR (Quick Response) codes are an awesome mobile marketing tool, and are now popping up literally everywhere. Some of the methods of using QR codes today make great sense, like on a business card, so people can scan your info instead of having to type it all in.

And then the placement of some QR codes make no sense at all, like on a street billboard where traffic moves fast. Think about it, how is someone supposed to drive and scan your QR code at the same time (and not have an accident)?

I've also seen QR codes on websites that brought you back to the exact same website when used. Just on your phone. If you're seeing the QR code, you're already on your computer. Please, don't do that.

QR codes can give a variety of different types of information. The most common uses are internet links, links to apps, and text.

How To Make A QR Code

Making a QR code is easy. Googling "Make QR Code for free" yields sites like Kaywa and Qurify, both of which work.

Be sure to download the QR Code image to your computer and then upload it to your website, if desired, rather than depending upon the QR Code maker sites to host it for you. That way, if the site stops working, your QR code isn't affected.

Bad QR Code Use

Unfortunately, there is so much bad QR code use out there that it's hard to know how to use QR codes effectively.

To give you some examples, I'll let you see Scott Stratten's take on bad QR code use:

Here are some bad uses that he mentions:

QR codes that don't lead to mobile-friendly content.

Sending a QR code by email. (You have to see the video to appreciate the folly of this fully.)

QR codes on Billboards (as mentioned above).

Subway platforms where there is no signal.

Airline magazines - you're in a plane and can't use the internet to follow them.

Scott Stratten is perhaps, a little forceful in his explanation, but he's right. It's clear that not every QR code campaign is well thought out.

A QR Code Checklist

Here are the keys to a well thought-out campaign using QR codes:

1. Give people something useful on mobile with your QR code. (Don't send people to a website that isn't optimized for mobile with a QR code!)

2. Use QR codes only in locations where they can easily and safely be scanned.

3. If the code is in a digital format (email or website), it must also be a link to the same content.

4. Make sure there is WiFi or 3G access in the place where the code is placed.

5. The QR code needs to be big enough and clear enough that even the lower-quality phones can scan it.

6. There should be a clear indication of which types of mobile devices can use the QR code. If it's for Android only, iPhone users will be irritated if they try to scan it and get poor results.

Some Ideas For Using QR Codes

With that said, here are some great ways to use QR codes:

1. At a conference or meetup, put a QR code on your name tag or shirt, and people can scan it rather than taking your business card, which will inevitably be lost in a pile of received papers. Be sure to have business cards too, though. Some people like having something tangible.

2. For local businesses, put a QR code on the door that gives people a file with your opening times, phone numbers, and website. A PDF hosted on a website is good for this. If your business has an app, of course, that's even better, but be sure to include your hours and phone numbers in a tab in your app!

3. If you're having a t-shirt giveaway, you might want to put your QR code on the shirt, so that anyone with questions about your business can just scan a code and get answers. My favorite place for these codes is in the upper area of the back, between the shoulder blades. Putting the code on the front makes the t-shirt unattractive.

4. T-shirts are more effective than keychains, because they are more visible, but if you're giving out keychains or other trinkets, put your QR code on them. Just be sure to do it in a way that doesn't make the item ugly. I was recently at a conference where one of the speakers gave out keychains with a QR code. You could scan the QR code for a chance to win a prize, too. This will, of course, dramatically increase the number of people who scan the code.

5. Banners - at convention tables, in public spaces, anywhere someone might be interested in your app or product, have a banner with your QR code. (Use banners in places with pedestrian traffic.)

6. For businesses that service cars, put a QR code sticker on the sun-visor, and have it lead to an app where you can both track regular car service and schedule your next maintenance online. To make it even better, offer coupons!

7. For a restaurant, give a QR code with the receipt or on the menu. Have it lead to a place to sign up for an email newsletter that includes coupons or freebies.

8. In emails and on webpages, I have to disagree with Scott Stratten - often people are reading an email or webpage on their computer and want to move the information to their mobile device. Just make sure it's also a link to the information, in case they're reading the site or email from their phone.

*And for Heaven's sake, please don't put a QR code on your belt buckle! Do you really want people photographing down there?

Be sure to let us know in what ways you've used QR codes to power your mobile marketing!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.
About The Author

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8 Great Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing

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QR (Quick Response) codes are an awesome mobile marketing tool, and are now popping up literally everywhere. Some of the methods of using QR codes today make great sense, like on a business card, so people can scan your info instead of having to type it all in.

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WHAT CAN YOU STORE IN A QR CODE? (A157743)

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WHAT CAN YOU STORE IN A QR CODE? (A157743)

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QR Codes - What Can I Store In A QR Code?

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QR Code FAQs - What Type Of Data Can A QR Code Store and Are There Any Restrictions?

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The QR code system was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. Its purpose was to track vehicles during manufacturing; it was designed to allow high-speed component scanning.QR codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile-phone users (termed mobile tagging). QR codes may be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user's device, to open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or to compose an email or text message. There are a great many QR code generators available as software or as online tools.The QR code has become one of the most-used types of two-dimensional code.

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WHICH INDUSTRY HIGHLY USED QR CODE?(A158425)

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WHICH INDUSTRY HIGHLY USED QR CODE?(A158425)

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Mobile Websites, QR Codes, and NFC Tags are simplified with Qfuse, an industry-leading tool for creating dynamic QR Codes, and custom mobile landing pages.

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Unitag let you create QR Codes for free, here you will get to know more about the rights granted to you.

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GIVE EXAMPLE ABOUT THE MOST CREATIVE USES OF QR CODES? (A157743)

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GIVE EXAMPLE ABOUT THE MOST CREATIVE USES OF QR CODES? (A157743)

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QR codes have been in use since the early 2000's, and while many marketers and designers predicted they would suffer an early demise much like HD-DVD or Myspace, in 2017 they are still alive and well. You don't even need to download an app to scan them anymore, you can do it directly through the phone's camera.Their continued usefulness is due in large part to new applications for their usage and changes to marketing channels. Snapchat has started generating "snapcodes" for users to share account information with friends. Instagram recently ran an advertising campaign featuring a creatively designed QR code that hopes to attract early adapters to download their app.

Here's 5 more reasons why QR codes are still relevant:

The continued growth of mobile usage means more opportunities to use a QR code. A Smart Insights report states that of all world-wide internet users, 80% will access it from a smartphone. According to Printrobot, there was an 11% increase in the number of QR codes generated from 2015 to 2016. And a 2015 Scanbury report showed 4.3 scans per person, up from 4.0 scans per person in 2014 or 7.5% growth.

QR codes provide an easy way to download an app, which can be extremely beneficial for a retail business that has frequent customer engagement and can promote the benefits of downloading the app in-store at the point of purchase. IKEA has started a program in France that will allow customers to scan all their items via a QR code on each product, then pay by one code at checkout, thus speeding up check-out times.

The rise of popularity of video as a content marketing format means people want more ways to engage with video. According to Brafton, in 2017 online video will account for 74% of all web traffic, and 28% of smartphone users watch a video on their devices at least once a day. QR codes provide a great way to connect to a video from a non-digital medium, like displaying movie previews from a poster, food prep steps from a recipe, or a video introduction from a resume.

Direct mail still delivers the best ROI for business to consumer acquisition of customers (The Data & Marketing Association uses $12 in revenue for every $1 spent), and with QR codes you can link a smartphone user to a personalized URL (PURL) on your website. A QR/PURL delivers visitors to a microsite that is personalized to that visitor, which can increase conversion rates. This in turn allows you to track the ROI of an individual printed piece sent to a specific recipient.

QR codes on direct mail pieces can also help marketers gain useful information from their campaigns. The scans can tell you which offers are working best and which geographical areas are responding the most. This knowledge which helps to refine your next campaign.

For QR codes to continue to be successful, however, it is incumbent on marketers to create a great experience and give their target audience guidelines on the proper usage. Easy-to-understand directions can go a long way to increase the number of participants in the campaign and conversions. And it is equally important that if you are going to move your customers to download the QR code app, scan your code, and deliver them to a URL, then the offer needs to be worth their time. Delivering true value will be rewarded with increased web traffic and conversions.

If you would like to learn more how QR codes can help you with your next campaign, contact a marketing professional at NextPage here, or call 1-800-660-0108. And if you would like to read more about how PURLs and QR codes can be incorporated into a direct mail campaign, download our free ebook, "The NextPage Guide to Direct Mail Success" here.

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5 Reasons Why QR Codes Are Still Relevant and Important - NextPage

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QR codes have been in use since the early 2000's, and while many marketers and designers predicted they would suffer an early demise much like HD-DVD or Myspace, in 2017 they are still alive and well.