Have you ever wondered if QR Codes are really effective in marketing? The different and contradictory opinions if these tools can really help you with your campaigns we can find online might confuse you. In this article, I’m going to show you QR Code by the numbers.
What are QR Codes?
The Quick Response Code has come into existence since 1994 by an automotive company called Denso Wave. It was created mainly for their products, but one of the untold reasons was that it was made for the purpose of easing the burden of encoding bulky information into the cash registers.
Known as the QR Code, this revolutionary technology has the ability to store bulky information in just a small, two dimensional square. Although it was developed in the mid-90s, it wasn’t until 2017 when the code made its way to the mainstream. That was because at its time of creation, most people did not have convenient means to scan the codes. And it even took a pandemic for this revolutionary technology to reach a wide range of users.
With the rise of computer-like handheld gadgets, now it doesn’t require a user to buy specialized equipment just to access the information they hold. A user only needs to have a smartphone with a legitimate QR scanner, and using the camera, the code can already take them to various places on the internet.
Do you ever wonder how effective QR Codes are? The numbers can tell. But before we go deeper into the concept of QR statistics, let us first understand its purpose.
Importance of Statistics in QR Code Success
Libguides (2022) presented the general importance of statistics, stating that they are important in helping people make informed decisions. Governments, organizations, and businesses all collect statistics to help them track progress, measure performance, analyze problems, and prioritize.
As QR Code helps your business or activity thrive, it is also important that you look at the numbers: survey results, research results, or any sources of statistical evidence that are legitimate and verified . This will help you determine if you need to make changes or if you need to take your code to various platforms for an increase in reach and range.
QR Code Usage from 2019 to 2025
A survey conducted by eMarketer in December, 2021 predicted that the number of US smartphone users scanning a QR code will increase from 83.4 million in 2022 to 99.5 million in 2025 (Business Insider, 2022). It is due to the wide and accessible use of gadgets that contain QR Code scanners such as smartphones.
The pandemic has changed the way people make transactions, and one of these is the development of contactless activities such as registration, buying and selling, or payment by scanning a QR Code. That way, they could only do these activities on their own gadgets, thus reducing the risks of contracting the COVID-19 virus.
A research conducted by Mobileiron (2020) revealed some statistics that showed how QR Code use increased rapidly during the pandemic:
- 84% of people have scanned a QR code before, with 32% most recently having scanned a QR code in the past week and 26% most recently having scanned a QR code in the past month.
- In the last six months, 38% of respondents have scanned a QR code at a restaurant, bar or café; 37% of respondents have scanned a QR code at a retailer; and 32% have scanned a QR code on a consumer product.
- 53% of respondents want to see QR codes used more broadly in the future.
- 43% of respondents plan to use a QR code as a payment method in the near future.
- 40% of people would vote using a QR code received in the mail, if it was an option.
With these results, we can safely conclude that the use of QR Codes aren’t going to end soon.
QR Code Usage in the East and West
There used to be a big difference with the acceptance of QR Codes in eastern and western regions of the world. For instance, North America did not easily welcome the QR Codes since the majority of the consumers were accustomed to near-field communication technology. Meanwhile, Asian countries found greater opportunities in a customizable square-and-dot barcode.
United States and United Kingdom
QR Codes weren’t really widely accepted in the United States until the pandemic. A September 2020 survey by Statista found that 18.8% of consumers in the United States and United Kingdom strongly agreed that they had noticed an increase in QR code use since the beginning of COVID-19 related shelter-in-place orders in March 2020. A 2021 article in Forbes backed this up, revealing that the use of QR Codes in the USA increased by 11% during the pandemic.
Asia
Unlike in the west, Asian countries found great potential in the use of QR Codes in streamlining various transactions on the internet. It could have helped that the technology started from Japan, an Asian country. And China, the largest and fastest-rising country in the continent, blazed the trail for its wide use. In addition, Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia were already QR Code-ready by November, 2022.
As a matter-of-fact, Asia still holds the crown as the biggest QR Code user in the world, according to a survey by Global World Index in 2019. 15% of the region’s population uses QR Codes. Latin America followed with 13% population, Europe and Middle East Asia with 10% users, and North America with 8% users.
Final Thoughts
We cannot deny that the QR Code, a two-dimensional bulk information storage system, is now quickly gaining traction in a variety of fields. The upward trend of its usage and growth is expected to continue for long, making this resurfacing technology ahead of its time.
Numbers don’t lie. These are some of the most reliable pieces of evidence that we need to rely on when making decisions about our company or product’s directions. They will tell if you need to change your marketing strategy, or if you can keep your existing strategy going.
That is why if you want your customers or website traffic to continue going in an upward direction, especially when using QR Codes, it is always helpful to check the statistics.
Again, statistics is a helpful tool in making informed decisions, so why not try it in tracking your QR Code?