QR Codes are Like Family: A Little Weird but They Just Work

by Michele Rempel

QR (Quick Response) Codes are not new. They were invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara, an engineer at a Japanese automotive company to help streamline car part production. They gained worldwide popularity in the early 2010s, but at the time, most of us had to download a separate QR code reading app on our phones, and QR code use just sort of fizzled. Enter the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need for touch-free solutions. Restaurants started to use them as a way to share their meal choices for pick-up orders or outdoor dining without needing paper menus. You may have seen a proliferation of laminated QR codes on outdoor dining tables at your favorite eatery. Venmo and PayPal give their users a unique QR code to allow touch-free sharing of money. Some retailers are using them to share discount codes or special deals. Since most of us have smartphones with QR code readers built in, they are now super easy to use.

What is a QR code? Simply put, it is a matrix barcode. When scanned with your smartphone’s camera, the QR Code will take you directly to a specifi c website landing page or site, menu, payment or other app. We’re starting to see a r esurgence of QR codes on business cards, on product packaging (such as sending customers to a webpage that details a farming operation’s “organic” certification) and on flyers.

Haven’t tried a QR code yet? Here’s your chance. Open your smartphone’s camera and point it at this QR code like you are going to take a photo. You should be directed to our website. We generated this customized QR code using www.qrcode-monkey.com.

For marketing purposes, QR codes can be used deliver an enhanced customer experience by businesses of all sizes. Use them on flyers, signage, product packaging, leave-behinds, for events (such as at a trade show booth) and even vehicle wraps. Link your QR code to a YouTube video, web page, Facebook or Instagram account, or Google reviews. You can also use them to ask for customer feedback. We know of a home cleaning franchisee that puts QR codes on a card that they leave behind in the home. If a customer scans the code, they will reach a link to leave a Google review. This immediate opportunity for customer feedback means that their staff is more likely to do a thorough job, and the customer is more likely to give the review right from their smartphone. QR codes are easy to create on any number of free websites and apps, such as www.qr-code-generator.com or www.qrcode-monkey.com. As you can see from the example above, you can do customizations such as your brand color and even your logo. If your business is looking for a new way to engage your target audiences, try QR codes. They’re free, easy to use and they just work.

Michele Rempel is the founder and managing partner of Westvyne, a marketing and website design fi rm based in California and Illinois. For almost a decade, she and her team have been guiding their clients in what to say, how to say it, where to say it, and who to say it to in order to attract and retain customers. For more infor- mation about Westvyne, visit www.westvyne.com.