Barcodes are a technology so common that we often overlook the conveniences they provide. Nearly every purchase uses a barcode to remove both time and errors from the transaction. Now the latest breed of barcode, Quick Response (QR) codes, pervades our magazines, posters and business cards.  QR codes offer a new avenue to engage and interact with your customers. 

What in the world is a QR code?

A QR code is probably already a part of your life, though you may not have noticed it. This QR code (pictured right) contains the address of the NaVOBA website.  The latest and greatest of mobile phones as well as special QR scanners can read this barcode.  Advertisers, publishers, organizations and individuals are quickly adopting this innovation.

A QR code is made up of squares rather than the lines seen in traditional barcodes. This is because a QR code is a two-dimensional barcode, a type that is read both vertically and horizontally.  QR codes lend their nomenclature to the designers intent that the code could be read quickly. To this end, the black boxes in the corners serve as an easily identified point of reference.  One corner is left without this box to orient the barcode along its two dimensions.

How will this help my business?

QR codes differ from traditional barcodes not only in their two-dimensional nature, but also because they contain embedded data, plus a function to be performed with these data. In the previous example, the QR code contained the embedded address of the NaVOBA website as well as the instruction that this address should be loaded in a web browser. In this QR code (pictured right) an email to the author is embedded with the instruction that it be loaded into the reader's email client. Some other possible types of QR codes include:

• Website URL
• Email address
• Contact information
• Geographic mapping
• Calender event information
• Text message
• Social media information

There is a multitude of ways to use QR codes to engage your customers. Perhaps the most obvious is to include a website QR in an ad for the reader to obtain more information about your business. To guide new customers to your business, a QR code which launches a map will leave no question about how to get there. For call-to-action communications in which the reader is solicited to contact a representative, a draft email can be composed within a QR code. For sales representatives a traditional business card can be supplemented with a QR code, transferring the information directly into a potential customer's address book. The possibilities are limited only by your creativity.

The Price is Right

Adopting the latest and greatest that technology has to offer frequently comes at a price. You're in luck when it comes to QR codes; they can be adopted without cost.  Free online barcode generators are a dime a dozen.  One with good QR support can be found at http://www.qrstuff.com (or by following the QR code pictured right).  This is an easy win for your business. Simply generate and print a QR code on flyers, posters, products, print ads, business cards or whatever you've got. Soon you'll be seeing your QR codes generate quick responses from your customers.

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