Searching for new ways to connect with customers or clients, want to share a considerable amount of information through a less space, well, then it is the right time to think about the QR codes.
The highly versatile Q R code can be linked to content ranging from a static electronic business card or restaurant menu to a Facebook profile, an interactive feedback survey and film download or rich media mobile internet site. The ability of QR codes to connect people with each other and to multimedia digital content is very useful for businesses and consumers alike.
The 'QR' or 'quick response' code is a type of 2D datamatrix bar code, which carries up to 4,096 characters of data and can be decoded using a mobile phone with a QR code reader. These codes encode meaningful information in the vertical direction as well as the horizontal in a grid of tiny squares; anyone with a smartphone can scan and read QR codes with the click of a camera.
QR Code invented by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process in Japan.
To be activated, the user needs a steady hand, a mobile phone with a camera and internet connectivity and a QR code reader on their phone, which can be downloaded for free from iTunes, Android Marketplace, BlackBerry World and other App stores, or via the mobile internet. It takes literally 1 minute for someone with an iPhone or Android phone to find and install the reader.
Consumers first need to scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone's browser. QR Codes may also be linked to a location to track where a code has been scanned. Either the application that scans the QR Code retrieves the geo information by using GPS and cell tower triangulation or the URL encoded in the QR Code itself is associated with a location.
What is a QR Code?
QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes in a magazine advert, on a billboard, a web page or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business by allowing users to search for nearby location or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.
QR Code is able to handle all types of data, such as numeric and alphabetic characters, Kanji, Kana, Hiragana, symbols, binary, and control codes. Up to 7,089 characters can be encoded in one symbol. QR code requires a four- module wide margin at all sides of a symbol.
The symbol versions of QR Code range from Version 1 to Version 40. Each version has a different module configuration or number of modules. In other words, as the amount of data increases, more modules are required to comprise QR Code, resulting in larger QR Code symbols.
The size of QR Code depends on a module size and a symbol version. The module refers to the black and white dots that make up the QR Code. The symbol version determines the data capacity. The QR Code is capable of 360 degree high speed reading. It accomplishes this task through position detection patterns located at the three corners of the symbol.
It also has the error correction capability. Data can be restored even if the symbol is partially dirty or damaged. A maximum 30 percent of code words can be restored. Each QR Code symbol version has the maximum data capacity according to the amount of data, character type and error correction level.
How can I use them for my business?
The QR code contains bundle of information about the product details, contact details, offers, events, competition details or a coupon. Your business, no matter how small or large it is, could use QR codes in a number of ways. You might auto generate one next to every product on your web site containing all the product details, the number to call and the URL link to the page so they can show their friends on their cell phone.
You could add one to your business card containing your contact details so it’s easy for someone to add you to their contacts on their cell phone. It will also able to share your social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and YouTube with your potential customer or clients.
QR code technology will increasingly play an enabling role in future mobile strategy for product sales, information access and promotional programs. More over this technology is blurring the distinction between smart phones, digital destination and content, and paper-based communication mediums.
