What is a QR-code

If you’ve been trekking through Antarctica for the last 15 years, then you might never have seen a QR-code before, but otherwise, those black and white dotted squares haven’t escaped anyone. Short for ‘quick response,’ QR-codes are now being used for everything from tracking goods commercially, to paying for groceries or restaurant visits or for marketing purposes, taking the scanner directly to a homepage or microsite.

Having fallen out of favour in the 2010’s (they were just a bit cumbersome back then), they are back in full force and showing staggering growth rates.

What is a QR-code?

A QR-code is effectively a barcode but better. It can hold a lot more data and can be read by mobile phone cameras and other devices. Those slightly larger squares in three of the QR-codes corners is what does the magic here. They help the camera align the code so that it can be read even if it’s being shot at from an angle. There are even data points in the QR-code that allow it to be scanned if it’s on a curved surface. In essence, what happens is that a camera phone decodes the information and takes the scanner to a microsite, or an email, a menu or a video. And it does it very quickly, hence the name QR or ‘quick response.’

When should you use QR-codes?

QR-codes are great for taking you from a physical object to a digital experience or when there isn’t enough space to get your story across. For example, QR-codes are very useful on products of any sort by providing user manuals, safety instructions and other information about the product. This both moves the user into a digital experience but also provides them with the information they need to use or care for that product in the best way. It opens up the door to add-on sales and access to campaigns etc.

But they are also used on posters when there is a need for more information than the poster can allow. Marketers are using them all the time to take people from a poster to a marketing campaign or competition. Restaurants use them to take guests to the menu and even to pay for their meals.

There really are an endless amount of applications for using a QR-code and they are all built around taking someone from a physical to a digital experience.

If you’re thinking about using one today, then there are two routes to go.

Static QR-codes

The good news with static QR-codes is that they are completely free. But beware. There are limitations. A static QR-code will only lead you to one web page or URL. If you want the QR-code to go to another page at some other point in time, then you’re in for a disappointment. But if you know you’ll only ever use a QR-code with a specific URL, then static is the way to go.

If you’re using Google Chrome, then you just click on those three dots up on the top right, go down to ‘share’ (it might also say ‘cast, save and share’) and you’ll then be given the option to create a QR-code to the website you’re on right now. It’s that simple.

In summary, they’re simple to create but you’re stuck if you decide to redo your homepage, change your company name or the web address for any other reason.

Dynamic QR-codes

The other QR-codes to look into are dynamic QR-codes. These will cost you a small amount from a QR-code supplier. We’ll give you 50 for just 15 euros a month at Kolla, so they’re not expensive.

The big advantage with dynamic QR-codes is that they can be used or moved to different URL’s. If you’re changing your homepage structure and moving content around, then there’s no problem. But also, and perhaps more importantly, if you’re shutting a page down, you don’t want a QR-code leading to one of those annoying ‘404 file not found’ pages. So, you can at least move the link so that the code scans to your main homepage at the very least.

Other advantages of dynamic QR-codes

There are two other factors that make dynamic QR-codes better. One is that dynamic qr-codes scan faster. The pattern on the code is just a bit simpler to read making scanning speeds that bit faster.

Another aspect is that you can add password protection and other security features into a dynamic QR-code. This can be useful when the code is being used for taking the user to sensitive information. As a general rule, we recommend dynamic QR-codes as you can make sure that any QR-code out in the field will be ‘scannable’ and won’t lead to a dead end. But it also gives you the peace of mind and freedom to know that you can change URL’s in the future and keep the QR-code alive and kicking. We use both at Kolla and recommend going to a QR-code supplier like ourselves if you’re going to use a lot of QR-codes, even if they’re all static. Why? A QR-code provider will give you a platform to store and manage all those codes so you can keep track of what’s where. It will save you a lot of time in the long run. If you just need a handful of QR-codes, then just Google it and create them for free.