If you’ve never scanned a QR code, it turns out that you are not alone. According to a recent article shared on PandoDaily, just 6.2 percent of the total United States mobile audience in 2011 had scanned a QR code on their mobile device, leaving 93.8 percent of these users QR-less. In 2012 QR code use grew significantly, but still avoided the guaranteed success that marketers had hoped for with use of the tool. Marketing campaigns utilizing QR codes have alternated between total failure (Red Bull’s Subway campaign, Fed Ex) and surprising success (Heinz’s use of QR codes to promote their environmental packaging).
This year use of augmented reality as a marketing tool is steadily on the rise, offering a more immersive, interactive experience for consumers. Augmented reality takes the wealth of information from the internet and overlays it onto the real world, and is now being integrated into customer experiences that range home decoration to customer service.
Is AR gradually replacing QR codes as a marketing tool? It comes down to what these tools offer users, and the ease with which they can be utilized.
The Challenges and Advantages of QR Codes:
Dan Roche, vice president of marketing at TalkPoint, New York insists that “Hands down, QR codes are the better value for anyone looking to connect the real and virtual worlds.” In addition to the benefit of their relatively low cost, QR codes work well in practical, controlled situations. The challenges? QR codes require users to pass through multiple steps in order to utilize a code, often without certainty as to what information the code leads to. First you must activate a QR reader, then scan the code, and accept it. Sometimes the QR code simply leads to a website shortcut, or content that similarly lacks engagement or specific purpose. As in all marketing campaigns, QR code use requires forward thinking and deliberate aims for product engagement. In other words: customers require clear incentives for regular use.
The Options of Augmented Reality:
While production costs may still be high, augmented reality is continually becoming more accessible. It delivers a fun, engaging experience– one that doesn’t necessarily require downloading a special reader to interact with the physical world. Rather than simply leading users to a website, AR offers opportunities for additional product engagement. You can read about how IKEA is incorporating AR into their 2014 catalogue to help their customers estimate furniture scale in their living spaces, or how Walmart is using AR to cultivate in-store experiences and retail promotions around popular films. AR offers value to a customer experience, rather than leading users down an uncertain rabbit hole. This increased product engagement, and ease of use, will be the reasons that AR is expected to overtake QR code use as a marketing tool.