Do you need your own QR code?
Link to specific information
A QR code - the successor to the traditional barcode - is a square, two-dimensional visual code consisting of tiny blocks. When someone scans this code using their smartphone camera, they will see specific information that has been linked to this code.
Example. You could link a QR code to your company’s website or your Facebook page or to a separate webpage which is part of a temporary advertising campaign. Customers can then directly visit these pages via their mobile Internet browser by scanning the code with their smartphone without having to type a complex URL.
Tip. It’s a good idea to insert a QR code in as many locations as possible: in the signature of all your e-mails, on your business cards, on your price quotations and invoices, in advertisements and brochures, on your packaging, etc. Catering businesses could, for example, make use of a QR code on their premises to link to their current menu or to temporary suggestions that customers can then view directly on their smartphone.
Other options
You can use a QR code to provide a payment link via PayPal, display the location of your business and branches on Google Maps, or give your visitors the access code for your Wi-Fi network.
Tip. By using a QR code you can even generate an automatic text message including the recipient’s number. This can be useful, for example, when organising an SMS contest: customers only need to scan the code; they don’t have to type the message and the SMS number manually.
No more barriers
In the past your customers had to install a (free) QR reader on their smartphone in order to be able to scan QR codes. However, since the introduction of iOS 11, iPhone owners can simply use their familiar camera app to scan QR codes, while Samsung has built this capability into its new devices. More and more apps come with a built-in scan function. We owe this evolution to Chinese examples, such as e-commerce giant Alibaba and social media platform WeChat.
Tip. Another barrier to the use of QR codes - the fact that an Internet connection is required to view the information linked to the QR code - has largely been removed, in the sense that just about everyone has a data subscription for their smartphone today.
How do you create a QR code?
You can easily generate your own QR codes using a service such as QR Stuff ( http://www.qrstuff.com ), QR Code Generator ( http://www.qr-code-generator.com ) or Kaywa QR Code ( http://qrcode.kaywa.com ).
All these services are free, but for a fee most of them offer a number of additional options. For example, the possibility to determine the colour and size of the QR codes you generate, automatic linking to underlying information produced only at specific times, the possibility to pause or stop an action, setting a scan limit, extra privacy options, analysis and user reports, etc.
Create your profile to unlock this advice and many more.