Lately you've probably seen more and more of these random looking images appearing across advertisements, billboards and even down to your favourite bag of crisps!
QR Codes (short for Quick Response) have been in existence for over a decade but have only emerged as a marketing tool in the UK and Ireland in the past 3 years.
The rapid adoption of smart phones has meant that they could now be utilised not just by businesses but, more importantly, by consumers.
In essence, QR codes have created a new way for businesses to engage with their customers and, in a cost effective manner, gain a greater response from printed advertisements than traditionally possible.
There are many benefits to QR Codes:
Firstly, they are cost effective and can be added to additional campaigns with very little cost.
They are measurable. A word marketers love to hear! Because QR Codes direct users to a url, analytics can be built in to discover user habits and trends.
They can gain greater engagement from audiences versus stand alone advertising.
They can provide new sales channels or even direct call to actions.
For businesses, using QR codes on signage, shop fronts or windows it can make a business go from 9-5 to a 24 hour operation.
Best of all, QR codes allow a new level of creativity!
For those interested in adopting QR Codes, there are a range of free generators available online, though for measurability you are better off going for software with analytics which run off a server.
