11–20 of 38 posts
The only good point I see for the QR code is that it makes it easier to get to a webpage. That made perfect use of it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For the iPhone, you'd need an app that can read it. Google's app is probably the best for it, since it provides so much functionality otherwise as well. Considering android's marketshare, though, I think these do have the potential to take off. Well, as long as people take this guys advice and make them point to coupons, or an actual campaign, rather than the URL on the billboard. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of using the…
The whole needing an app kills it. If its built into the native camera to recognize these codes I can really see it taking off. No more needing to type long landing page urls when you see a billboard or needing an exclusive short url when you can just point your camera and see the intended page open up on your iphone browser.
Key insight here is right at the middle: "People will not adopt a technical solution that serves to replace a manual task, if that solution is less efficient than the manual task it replaces. How could we think that QR codes for marketing would work any better than CueCat? Did we not learn the first time?" No matter how great technically, no matter what the reward is at the end, if you can't get people to use the pro…
Key insight here is right at the middle: "People will not adopt a technical solution that serves to replace a manual task, if that solution is less efficient than the manual task it replaces. How could we think that QR codes for marketing would work any better than CueCat? Did we not learn the first time?" No matter how great technically, no matter what the reward is at the end, if you can't get people to use the pro…
That, and a bit of education on what they are / do. As he states in the article, even in SF most consumers are in the dark.
I saw one use of the QR code that impressed me: in my city (Lyon, France), on bus stops, there are QR codes. Following them leads to a web page where you get the waiting time for the next buses. This is a quick and cheap way to display the waiting time without adding hardware to the bus stops. The only good point I see for the QR code is that it makes it easier to get to a webpage. That made perfect use of it.
For example - at the bus stop with a QR code I would have:
- locate an app I rarely use in the Menu
- open app
- depending on app, hit button to go to camera
- snap photo
- processing time
- opens web browser... (sometimes I'd get a confirmation page prior to the action)
With a Short URL:
- open browser thats prominently placed on my phone
- tap in Short URL (bit.ly/xYz123XyZ)
Manually typing a Short URL is a very low pain point in comparison to QR codes these days.
I saw one use of the QR code that impressed me: in my city (Lyon, France), on bus stops, there are QR codes. Following them leads to a web page where you get the waiting time for the next buses. This is a quick and cheap way to display the waiting time without adding hardware to the bus stops. The only good point I see for the QR code is that it makes it easier to get to a webpage. That made perfect use of it.
It would be faster and easier for a Short URL in place of a QR code in most cases. For example - at the bus stop with a QR code I would have: - locate an app I rarely use in the Menu - open app - depending on app, hit button to go to camera - snap photo - processing time - opens web browser... (sometimes I'd get a confirmation page prior to the action) With a Short URL: - open browser thats prominently placed on my p…
I saw one use of the QR code that impressed me: in my city (Lyon, France), on bus stops, there are QR codes. Following them leads to a web page where you get the waiting time for the next buses. This is a quick and cheap way to display the waiting time without adding hardware to the bus stops. The only good point I see for the QR code is that it makes it easier to get to a webpage. That made perfect use of it.
Seems to be trending up pretty well. http://www.google.com/trends?q=qr+code
Whether it is due to marketers putting the codes everywhere or actual value is yet to be said, but certainly don't think the technology itself is failing.
Somewhere I have a 30 page report from an executive in a media company on why QR codes are the next big thing, because they are big in Japan. If there was any red flag for me it was the fact that those that didn't know consumer habits, technology or why the milieu of both would effect the adoption of a new mode of doing things were saying these things. QR codes were pushed because they hit the marketing sweet spot of…
I was hoping this article would be able how marketers don't generally do anything useful with the barcodes. Sending you to their website (probably designed for desktops) is not the way to go. He touched on this, but then focused on QR code's lack of ubiquity.