A couple of months I presented some data I had gleamed from various sources on QR code usage – depending on who you believed the increase in usage ranged from 500% to over 4000%.

Last week I came across two articles via @TheQRCoder both of which report on the opposite ends of the same story – whether QR codes have a future or not. Marketing Vox reported that “The End of the QR Code Is Near (Says a Provider of Competing Technology)” Here’s a quick excerpt:

QR codes are very popular among marketers. But consumers? Not so much.  Despite the growing popularity of this technology, it just hasn’t caught on with the public. 57% of consumers who have scanned a QR code say they did nothing with the information, compared to 21% who shared the information with someone and 18% who made a purchase, according to a survey by Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB).

On the other hand we have 2d Code that reports “The Future Looks Bright For QR Codes”. Their short article centered on these findings:

When asked “Which of the following mobile channels or technologies do you plan to invest in during 2012” 48% of companies said QR Codes. When asked “Which of the following mobile channels or technologies do your clients plan to invest in during 2012” 44% of agencies said QR Codes. “Mobile Applications” had a higher percentage in both groups but QR Codes were second even coming ahead of “Mobile Commerce” and “Mobile Advertising”

So, again the issue boils down to who to believe. As usual with this stuff I suspect that the reality is somewhere between the two – increased adoption by marketing-savvy people but overall QR codes will succeed or fail naturally dependent on whether people feel they get something out of the experience.

For now I’m going to ride the wave and let as many people as possible know about the possibilities of using customized QR codes.

Posted by John Tully
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