QR Codes and their Uses

What is a QR Code?

QR Code is short for Quick Response Code and is the trademarked name for a specific type of barcode.

Standard barcodes you see on various retail products are labels that are machine readable and usually contain information such as an identification number, these types of barcodes are known as one dimensional barcodes and they can only hold a small amount of information.

QR codes are a type of matrix barcode (or two dimensional barcode) consisting of black squares arranged in a grid on a white background. QR Codes can contain much more data than one dimensional barcodes, including web addresses.

Scanning a QR Code with a mobile phone or other 2D barcode reader will read the data contained within, in the case of mobile phones this lets the user click a link to visit the URL presented.

This means that customers won’t have to type long and complex URLs into their computer or mobile browsers which they could easily enter incorrectly, instead the customer simply points and clicks with their mobile phone.

QR Codes used in this way allow marketers and businesses to take advantage of PURLS (Personalised URLs); PURLs contain identifying information such as a reference number or username, so when a customer visits the URL the website can find their information from a data source and present the user with a personalised experience.

Personalised direct mail services such as Hello Market allow users to create personalised printed communication containing personalised QR Codes, allowing their customers access to a joined up marketing experience.