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What do you think are the biggest misperceptions companies have about QR Codes?
I actually think the biggest misconception is that they don't work. What I mean by that is, not the actual functionality of the codes themselves, but that most people don't scan them. I would agree with the fact that most people don't scan, but I think a lot of companies discount those that might be compelled to scan those codes. Just like all marketing tools, it's not going to be 100 percent affective, but don't count out the people they do reach.
They are so inexpensive to create and use, and the only capital takes to use QR Codes properly is intellectual or creative capital to really have a QR Code that connects in a compelling way. So even though you may not get a lot of scans, you're not spending much to get them.
What are some good use cases you've seen in the automotive or aftermarket segment?
We had a client that put a QR Code next to each product, boxed 12 to a page, in their print catalog. The code led back to the unique part detail page on their website.
There are other ways to do it. Some companies connect QR Codes to automatically enter information for a contest or rebate. That's really compelling.
What I use QR Codes most for is to download mobile apps. It's perfect. That's a beautiful marriage of new media and traditional media. You can look up part information, you can download a mobile app. That's beautiful.
What was involved in creating that catalog example you mentioned?
It was unbelievably easy. They provided us with an Excel file, and in one column they had the part number, and in a second column they had the URL where that part number was located. It worked for them because for each of their part numbers, each one was on its own separate page on the website. They had individual URLs. We took that file, processed it, and we provided them back with a third column with all the QR Codes embedded within it.
We had to work with the programmer to make sure they could render the pages for the print catalog with the QR Codes automatically assigned to each part on each page. That was all on the front end; there was nothing manually added.
Are there other use cases you think we should see more of?
A lot of people will add a QR Code, and that's it. I really believe there needs to be a call to action next to the code. "Scan this to download our free mobile app." Don't just put it by itself; there will be no compelling reason to scan it unless you tell them why.
