QR codes have been ‘big in Japan’ for years now, and back in 2008 Trendplanner posted about the possibilities of QR and how it might not be long before the QR code was common place in countries other than Japan. But now well into 2009 the QR code is yet to really take off outside of Japan in countries such as the US and UK. With benefits for both brands and users, why is this so?
Chances are since 2008 a lot more people have come into contact with QR codes. Within the UK major brands such as Pepsi and Volvo have been experimenting with QR codes, and although not common place many people now have some understanding of what these strange little black and white boxes are. But even with improved understanding, QR codes are not being used regularly within the UK.
QR stands for ‘Quick Response’ and many of the reasons for the lack of success can be brought back to the fact that activity within the UK does not satisfy this definition. The point of a QR code is that it offers the user a way they can save time and effort, it allows them to be ‘quick’. For example, users see a advert and they want to know more, they don’t need to wait till they get to a computer they can use their phone, and they don’t need to go to the effort of searching for the content or type in a long URL, they simply scan the code and the information is delivered. But the majority of campaigns seem to have forgotten this and are assuming people will scan the QR code just for the experience of scanning a QR code. This might work for a few curious first time users, but the majority will require an incentive.
Another major issue that interferes with how ‘quick’ the service is that in the UK the majority of phones do not have an inbuilt QR code reader. Users have to download an application in order to use their camera as a QR scanner, and for some users these applications are not compatible with their phones. Either there will have to be some major incentives to get people to download the application or it needs to become standard issue on new mobiles.
It seems that the technology that the average person has access to in the UK does not make using a QR code a viable option. What’s more many uses of the QR are based around internet access and the majority of people in the UK still don’t have the handsets and the data plans to make make accessing the mobile Internet a regular activity.
So it seems for the QR code to take off firstly we need an improvement in the technology available to the average user, preferably all new phones will have an inbuilt QR code reader and then just as important is that the QR codes produced actually provide users with an incentive to use them. This might be years rather than months away, and by then there might be other technology available. Currently there are some very similar alternatives to the QR code, these include the datamatrix code and the Microsoft Tag. Either a single code needs to be established or code readers need to be able to read all types of short code.
Furthermore, there are other similar services becoming available which use a similar concept but take things to another level, such as Snaptell and Nokia Point & Find. These services work in a similar way in which relevant content from the Internet is delivered to the user in a quick and easy manner, however in this case users don’t need to scan a code they simply take a photo of the relevant content. Snaptell can provide a product price comparison just by the user taking a photo of the product in question, Nokia Point & Find can be used to show the user a film trailer just by them taking a photo of a poster for the film.
So it seems the UK is not quite ready for the QR code to take off, and when it is it might not be the QR code we see being used, but a more advanced service based upon the concept of the QR code . As accessing the Internet via a mobile device becomes more popular so will these technologies that can save the user time and effort. Brands need to be ready when their target audience reaches this stage but need to remember that such a service simply acts as a gateway and is worthless unless users actually desire the content to which the gateway leads.
12 Comments
May 19, 2009 at 2:28 pm
That’s a powerful tool, both for consumers and brands. QR has also been used in some TV games and TV series.
May 19, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Sure it will go outside Japan! I’ve seen it in Belgium too. People are using it there as well. Check it out on: http://bit.ly/Xkrjh
May 19, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Hey Diane,
I’ve seen it being used in various countries, but Japan seems to be the only place it’s really gone mainstream.
But when the technology has caught up I’m sure QR codes or something using a similar concept will become common place across the globe.
Do you have any idea how widespread the use of QR codes in Belgium is?
May 20, 2009 at 9:36 am
In Belgium it’s in an early stage though. People still need to be educated about the technology, and the mobile culture isn’t that large as in Japan. I’ve seen it being used on websites. There are initiatives to make it more widespread. Looking forward to see it everywhere!
May 20, 2009 at 4:52 pm
[...] their potential, Trendplanner asks if QR codes will ever take off outside of Japan. According to the post, the UK isn’t quite ready yet, I wonder if the same is the case for [...]
May 25, 2009 at 9:59 am
Well we’ve been laughed at by various people here in the UK. Most people get it but seem to think its just another technology fad. We don’t agree but then you’d expect us to say that as we offer a tag management application at Vizitag.com. Mobile tagging appears to be low on the early adopter curve but once readers are pre-installed on mobiles there’s no doubt in my mind that the market will take off.
June 7, 2009 at 7:21 pm
[...] outside of Japan. I don’t think we’ll be writing all our books in QR code but maybe if QR codes can establish themselves outside of Japan they can play some role in the enhancing the communication channel based on some of the principles [...]
June 16, 2009 at 3:52 pm
[...] applications of actually making users find and download the service themselves (this has been a major boundary for technology such as QR codes). With the video enabled new iPhone 3GS release just round the corner, there is a chance it might [...]
June 17, 2009 at 6:22 am
[...] applications of actually making users find and download the service themselves (this has been a major boundary for technology such as QR codes). With the video enabled new iPhone 3GS release just round the corner, there is a chance it might [...]
July 6, 2009 at 4:46 pm
[...] This of course is true of all marketing using the latest technology such as Augmented reality and QR codes, it’s only so long the technology itself can be used to hook in the audience. Brands will [...]
October 31, 2009 at 2:32 pm
[...] has been widely reported that QR codes are common place in Japan. In my short time in the country so far I can confirm this [...]
January 1, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Marketing leads that are targetted can arguably make or break a business if employed correctly.