Under The Scanner: QR Codes & Marketing

Author: Suchismita Dam Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB), Bhubaneswar

“Bhaiyya PayTM hai na? Scan kar ke pay kar lungi” (Hey, do you have PayTM, I will scan and pay)- A ubiquitous phrase heard across India in shops, registration kiosks, amongst friends, whenever a monetary transaction takes place. This simple and almost instant transfer of money has been made possible with the advent of real-time payment techs and the Quick Response Code (QR code), which is the focus of the article.

It would be wrong to think that QR codes are used only as payment gateways, they have become the preferred mode of identification for all types of products and services. The Indian government has mandated the inclusion of QR codes on Pharmaceutical Ingredients to improve traceability in Supply Chain. Tata Consumer Products also introduced QR codes on its packaging, directing users to its website. L'oreal started a campaign to promote their products to people stuck in traffic jams, which linked a QR code to video ads, and then directed users to D2C website. Zara enhanced window shopping experience by putting a huge QR code on their glass panel doors in malls, the code allows customers to directly see the 'on-sale' items - literally allowing them to 'Window Shop'!

on their pages.

An influencer can be anyone, from a fashion blogger on Instagram to a wedding photographer on Pinterest to a Twitter cyber-security professional. Nowadays, influencers use a range of social media platforms to promote or represent brands, including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Influencer marketing is gaining popularity as a cost-effective alternative to celebrity endorsements. This form of marketing may prove to be extremely f All in all QR code has become an important tool for marketers to advance their promotional campaigns, brand awareness, and authentication. Adding a QR code to promotional channels helps in making the Brand's 'Call to Action functional. They can be used for almost anything from simply directing to a Brand's website, contact information, location, app download to promotional offers and many more complex tasks.

The origin of this miraculous product lies in supply chain management. The Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota, developed QR codes to track automobile parts during assembling in 1994. Version 40, the largest possible QR code can contain a whopping 4296 alphanumeric characters!

While it seems that QR code is all set to become the marketeer's communication tool with customers, there are some obvious challenges to the same. The first being its aesthetic, yes seeing a black and white ugly square pattern covering your content is never an ideal situation. This not only deters customers

from scanning it, it might also turn the user away from the Brand. Secondly, with reduced attention spans and an increase in content, QR codes are barely noticeable, even if they are, they are mostly ignored by the customers. Also, QR codes are often static, the information is not updated nor is it personalized for different users.

But not to be deterred, there are innovative solutions available for the above challenges. Designer QR codes are already gaining traction amongst popular brands like Vaseline which used a QR code in the pattern of petroleum jelly, or Taco Bell introducing their gourmet menu via a QR code depicting lemons, or Louis Vuitton who with designer Takashi Murukami started this trend of custom QR codes. Another trend in the QR market is Dynamic Code. This allows brands to get more personal with customers. Dynamic QR codes can showcase different messages depending on the scan time, scan person, etc. A customized dynamic QR code can increase the scan rate by at least 30% as compared to the mundane black-and-white QR code.

While designer and dynamic QR codes make it more appealing, brands will have to keep certain factors in mind to truly get measurable results. To do that it is important to understand the consumer journey. Consumers will mostly scan QR codes if they are actually looking for some gain point and would want some form of instant gratification. So, while curating the landing page/campaign through QR code, it's important for Brands to have a definite goal that they want their customers to reach and for the customers to receive some reward for reaching that goal, like So, just putting the code on food packaging is not enough if it simply directs the customer to the brand website. This will create little or nil customer engagement. QR codes if done creatively, have the potential to be the next big thing in Marketing. As they have percolated in all spheres like in restaurants for no-contact menus, and feedback portals. They would be great for “Above The Line” Marketing. Imagine waiting at a busy toll booth and suddenly the billboard displays ads for flats on rent, exactly what you were looking for. The ad has a QR code, which you scan and voila! Google maps location of the flat is displayed on your mobile.

Not only is it a great marketing tool, but it also creates various job opportunities for designers and coders to show their talent. Firms will need to collaborate with such QR code creators to boost their campaigns. As we looked at the QR code through our scanner, it is clear that it has a clear and focused, if not a bright future ahead, especially with digitalization being of utmost importance in the coming years.