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Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

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Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#81

Post by learc83 »

Angostura wrote: post #74
brk wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something? Shopping for dishwashers in-store, even after doing lots of online research. The in-store display tags have very minimal info. Best Buy has/had a QRCode on each product that took you to a webpage for that item with a lot more info, reviews, etc. It was one of the main reasons I actually bought a dishwasher AT Best Buy instead of elsewhere.

Wouldn't it have bee just as effective to have http://bestbuy.com/12345 on the label.

If you have a reader app on your phone scanning the QR code is a bit faster than typing in a url, especially if your doing repeatedly for multiple products.

I still think they are overused, but they can offer a little extra connivence, as long as they aren't taking up too much space.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#83

Post by bostonvaulter2 »

ben1040 wrote: post #9
ctingom wrote: post #8

Home Depot had a QR code linking to a YouTube video showing how to install a garbage disposal. It was right by the product.

This seems like it would be an actual good use of a QR code, if it was specifically labeled as "Scan this to see how to install this product." On the other hand, I just got a bill from my exterminator service. And lo and behold right there next to their address block on the invoice was their URL and an unlabeled QR code. Why in the heck would I ever bother scanning that? Having it there just screams "the owner's kid…

Yes, I really hate QR codes that have no labels at all, how am I supposed to know if I want to actually read the content at the other end?

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#84

Post by Karunamon »

calinet6 wrote: post #6

Especially the QR-codes that aren't QR codes. I honestly tried to scan a new style barcode that wasn't QR, that literally said below it "Please download the SomethingCode app to read this barcode." Never have I sworn out loud so fervently at a magazine, or so quickly sworn off purchasing from that (rather large) company.

You swear at magazines and boycott a company because they ask you to download an app?

Wow. Perhaps consider anger management classes?

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#85

Post by Karunamon »

user49598 wrote: post #78

Why don't any good 'URL Finder' apps exist. 1) Open URL Finder app 2) Take picture 3) URL finder identifies all the urls in the picture. 4) Your browser opens those urls These QR codes aren't being used for robot orientation or shipment tracking, they don't need to be so fault tolerant. Why not just OCR plain text?

It takes ages for most camera apps to decode a QR code designed for ease of reading and ubiquity - what makes you think it would somehow be faster to do OCR on arbitrarily sized and styled fonts?

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#86

Post by learc83 »

rprospero wrote: post #45
ColinWright wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the error-pronedness - clicks are far easier. Can you always type a lengthy URL without any mistakes or having to make corrections? Plus, I can't read a poster and a phone without constantly changing whether I'm looking through glasses or not. I type pretty well, but the scan wins every time. Added in edit: I really, really don't understand the downvotes. I'm offering a point of view as to why QR codes are easie…

It took me 28 seconds to type in this sentence on my cell phone. I didn't use auto-correct, so it's a pretty good match for typing a url, if a little long. That time did include going back through to correct for errors. Comparatively, I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute, either on my own phone or on one from my friends, family, and coworkers. I could see the glasses thing being a pain.

>I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute,

How is it taking you that long to scan QR codes?

I'm using a free barcode scanner with a fairly slow phone (LG Optimus) and I just pulled up a bunch of QR codes to scan.

Every one is done in under a second.

It takes the same amount of time for me to pull up either the keyboard or the barcode scanner, and I definitely can't type a url in under 1 second, so the scanner beats it hands down.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#87

Post by drzaiusapelord »

mseebach wrote: post #21

Number one missed opportunity for QR-codes: "For Sale/Rent" signs. It actively annoys me that I don't have a super-low-friction way to take a closer look at a for-sale house I'm walking by.

I see these all the time in Chicago. I think the only time I've ever scanned one was because I was curious as to the asking price of a house near me.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#88

Post by learc83 »

QR codes are new to most advertisers, so they don't know what to do with them. They're just using QR codes to use QR codes without thinking about whether they make sense.

When the wii first came out, it was full of games where motion control made no sense. Some marketing guy told the developers to add motion control. It didn't matter if it fit the game or not, they just did it, so they could say they had it on the box.

There is a place for QR codes. As soon as the novelty wears off and advertisers stop thinking they're cool, we'll start to see them used in real meaningful applications.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#89

Post by brk »

Angostura wrote: post #74
brk wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something? Shopping for dishwashers in-store, even after doing lots of online research. The in-store display tags have very minimal info. Best Buy has/had a QRCode on each product that took you to a webpage for that item with a lot more info, reviews, etc. It was one of the main reasons I actually bought a dishwasher AT Best Buy instead of elsewhere.

Wouldn't it have bee just as effective to have http://bestbuy.com/12345 on the label.

Not really because then I have to type a bunch of characters instead of just clicking a button.

QR Codes are nice macros, in the right places. They don't necessarily belong on every uncovered surface, but in many cases they can transfer a relatively large amount of data quickly and easily.

I think we're still figuring out QR Codes and the proper applications of them. I remember usenet discussions in 1996 asking "Why did Ford put a URL in their commercial? Why do I need/want that? What do I do with it?"...

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#90

Post by urbanjunkie »

dllthomas wrote: post #65
urbanjunkie wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the price I have to pay is that people like you think I'm an idiot, I'm sure I'll manage. I am curious though, how do you distinguish between people "talking out loud to their phones", and people talking out loud to other people using their phones (ie making a phone call).

There are a lot of situations where people talking on the phone to other people is annoying and rude. I expect there's substantial overlap with the situations where people talking out loud to Siri is annoying and rude.

And for the most part those situations are not ones where the presence of QR codes would be of significant benefit.

Note that I think QR codes are great for things like airline tickets or baggage tracking tags.

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