QR Codes Are Good…But Not Magical
These first points are very encouraging for companies using QR codes:
While only 21% know QR codes by name, 81% of respondents reported having seen the ubiquitous black and white squares.
For smartphone owners, whose devices are capable of scanning the code, QR codes are becoming a part of the purchase process. Half of smartphone owners surveyed had scanned a QR code, and nearly 20% of them made a purchase after scanning.
While this is positive news for marketers these next statistics point to what the scanner is expecting but not getting:
Results were more mixed when respondents were asked to rate the usefulness of the information they got from scanning the code: 41% reported the information they got to be useful. 42% reported mixed results and 18% said the scan proved not useful.
That only 41% of people find the information useful points to the fact that many who are implementing QR codes seem to expect them to be magic. QR codes are only as useful as the offer. If your QR code just takes me back to your webpage that is not helpful. Give me a coupon or direct me to your app. This next set of stats speaks to just that:
Among those who scanned codes, the top reasons were curiosity (46%), to get more information about a company, service, product, deal or event (41%), to take advantage of a promotional offer (18%) or to gain access to exclusive content (16%).
The top reason to scan a QR code noted by all respondents (those who have scanned and those who haven’t) is interest in getting a discount, coupon, or free item (46%).
(via Print in the Mix)