Those amorphous images composed of squiggly lines and squares that are increasingly peering at us from newspaper ads, brochures, books and coupons are unlikely symbols of an enormously powerful tool that is altering the way we do business, the way we educate our students, the way an untold number of tasks involving user interaction with providers of goods, services and information are conducted.
QR codes are used by many businesses to help promote products, but they may be enjoyed by individuals for personal use as well. Above, a QR code links to some of my favorite photographs I posted to the web site 500px.com.
They’re called QR — quick read — codes, and while they are not likely to win any beauty contests, they have become must-have tools for marketers and anyone else targeting a growing, increasingly tech-savvy population that is rarely farther than arm’s length from a camera-equipped, Web-enabled smart phone.
We’ve long been familiar with product bar codes that have been tagged onto such items as food products, clothing and electronic equipment since the ’80s. These newer QR codes can store several hundred times the amount of data of yesterday’s bar codes.
Equipped with scanning apps, users simply point their phone at a QR code and the app will lock on it and call up a Web page, dial a phone number, run a video or play a song.
Many businesses hope to draw reader interest with QR codes that link customers to websites or Facebook pages. The most effective ads are those that exhibit a little creativity. Home Depot posts QR codes on gardening products: When customers scan the code on a plant, for instance, they are taken to a Web page with care instructions, temperature requirements, watering schedules and other data that would be impossible to include on a product sticker.
Last winter, JCPenney shipped gifts containing QR codes that connected recipients to recorded voice greetings from purchasers.
These codes have gone to the dogs, as well. PetHub is offering canine collars sporting QR codes embedded with care and dietary instructions for lost pets, along with contact information.
Municipalities are joining the act, too.
In Montclair and Newark, the Parkmobile system lets drivers pay for parking by scanning QR codes posted at designated spots. The Parkmobile app transmits location data, date, time, license and motorists’ credit card payment details.
Those traveling over the holidays may have noticed QR codes on their boarding passes. Most major airports now use them.
nice qr code info
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