If February 2020 feels like a decade ago, you are not alone. Last year was one of the hardest --and felt like one of the longest--ever confronted. And to think, it began relatively normal, with casual discussions about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down from their royal duties, and J-Lo and Shakira's attention-grabbing NFL Super Bowl halftime show.
That should have been followed by wagers and office pools to the conventional March Madness college basketball tournaments. We wrote (in retrospect) a visionary post about how brands can reach the NCAA's fans via QR code advertising. And we continued writing about the value proposition of QR codes through 2020 as we were sure that their popularity would increase.
What radically changed QR's course?
We were outside in front embracing the flexibility of Quick Response codes, but little did anyone know how game-changing they'd look once Covid-19 suddenly roared across the nation. In a time when shutdowns and social distancing were shifting the conventional retail experience, QR codes became a go-to touchless technology which could be used everywhere from retail windows to in-store signage, consumer packaged goods (CPG) to menus, and much more.
As an early winner of these exceptional cryptograms, we have come to understand the endless ways they may be utilised in consumer and marketing connections; and with time, we developed an expertise and different approach towards business strategies around them. To share our thoughts and theories in QR use, we put together a Marketer's Guide to QR Codes. In our guidewe detail why this previously little-used piece of retail technology makes sense now--especially since customers are adapting to its ease of usage --as well as going forward in a post-pandemic world. More on that in a bit.
Tech is in customers' hands. Literally.
A recent article in RetailWire cites a Statista study that shows 46 percent of customers noticed a spike in using technologies from the U.S. and U.K. since last March. It stands to reason that an increase in QR code use only made sense as, the magazine points out, both Android and Apple had additional code-scanning capacities in their smartphone cameras. This meant"customers no longer have to put in another app to scan," removing obstacles and opening many, many doors to diverse advertising concepts and approaches.
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And their use does not just mean forcing the consumer to your site and dropping them off. The QR route can be much more than that in terms of personalizing the experience and linking all perceptions of the brand to the customer. A recent article in Modern Retail clarifies how DTC candle manufacturer Cadence Candle Co. started packing QR codes using its own products, linking users to curated Spotify audio playlists that reflect each odor. So not only could customers enjoy their purchase but they had music to enjoy it by.
Consumer comprehension of QR value and use grows daily.
Although QR Codes are easy to use, an article in Digital Trends detailed how some people originally showed resistance toward using them. Josh Phillips, the co-owner and general director of Espita, a Washington, D.C.-area restaurant, started using the codes to manage touchless menus and payments.
"[One guest] interacted with it and changed her tune to'I know I was hating on this QR code item, but this is in fact great. Why doesn't everybody do this? ''' the magazine estimates Phillips as saying. "That is a pattern I see repeatedly with the few people who have had complaints. From the end of the meal, they're constantly on board and think it's very good."
In the months since Covid-19 began dispersing, shoppers are becoming more attuned to the various ways they could have a more immersive customer experience, particularly with the support of their phones. And this has also contributed to multilayered pathways in connecting with customers using QR.
Bridging the physical and electronic world
In accordance with Techjourney.net, in 2020 50.1percent of the time spent on mobile is done using social media apps. Our guess is that it is probably more than that, given all the physical restrictions we've been confronted with over this past year. But we are in agreement that it would only make sense that social media is now also a part of the current retailing equation. Connecting QR to such platforms shows immense promise in elongating and deepening the relationship with customers.
Forbes explains how shops and restaurants may use Instagram's QR codes so companies can more easily bridge the physical and electronic --okay, phygital--worlds of retail. A few of the things that these codes may show include restaurant menus, even changes that may happen throughout the day; up-to-date stock, including new product drops; person-to-person direct messaging opportunities with retail partners and easy buy online, pickup in-store checkouts for featured products.
But even more intriguing is the way that QR codes can be a connector into the brand as well as other brand fans. Especially now, in the height of sporting events, when customers are suddenly (and regrettably ) finding that supermarket shopping is their entertainment for the week, a QR code may be excellent connector to other fans when they physically can't sit next to them at a stadium. What better way to get a new to edge its character into the hearts of shoppers compared to function as the catalyst for their connection to one another, sharing team spirit together with a heap packed with cheese-covered nachos?
The possibilities are infinite.
QR codes have a huge opportunity to provide marketers seeking to create relatively cheap, immersive, and diverse campaigns. With shoppers always on the move and their telephones becoming an extension of the phygital reach, QR codes give an exciting and secure, touch-free method to engage at all levels, wherever the shopper stinks.
As the possibilities and thoughts are nearly limitless, we have something to whet your appetite further: Medallion Retail's Marketer's Guide to QR Codes.
Thumb through our comprehensive Marketer's Guide to QR Codes and you'll discover page after page of ideas and insights toward marketing using QR codes. How they can be efficiently used across a wide spectrum of retail, service and restaurant businesses and ways to receive this advertising approach up and running quickly with positive measurable results are simply the beginning.
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