What are QR Codes(Smart Tags), Who’s using them and What opportunities do they offer?

We had a conversation with DJ Afifa last week for SiliconCaribe Tv and she introduced me to QR Codes. Since then I’ve been noticing references to them all over; and that got me curious about who’s currently using them in Jamaica and the further possibilities for using them in interesting ways.

What’s a QR Code?

A QR (Quick Response) code is a two dimensional bar code that can be read by dedicated QR code readers and your smart phone. Embedded in the code can be any kind of data from URLs to contact cards. As a matter of fact if you’re a blackberry user you might be primarily familiar with them as an easy breezy way to add a new contact.

QR codes have been around for a while – they were invented in 1994 in Japan and have been in use in the East, but more recently they’re becoming a trend in the western world. Although we love a trend to jump on, we can also be a little bit slow sometimes with adopting new technologies as well as documentation of its use. I looked around on the web and while I am sure there are a few people/businesses using QR codes already, all I was able to substantiate for current users in the Caribbean are:

Jamaicans.com used a QR code in a competition in August 2010. The correct answer to a question won a copy of Marlon Jame’s “John Crows Devil”, and they posted a QR code which led to a cheat sheet.

Lets Eat Out Restaurant Guide features Microsoft tags which allow you to view additional options such as pricing, and directions. I imagine you could also use them for to check menu items, daily specials.

Sixy the Jamaican Rapper is using QR codes as well.

Now that we’re aware of this and the the trend seems to be picking up I am eager to see what we’ll do with this and I envision they’re so many exciting ways we can use it.

Using QR Codes:

The party scene in Jamaica hype, I see the codes jumping off in this area very quickly. I think before they are used generally, they will be used to create a feeling of exclusivity cause as much as we love being trendy, we also love a good dose of exclusion. We’ll probably see them used to unlock specials, VIP Items. They’re also a great element of fun, because you can put them anywhere – anywhere at all, and until you point at it you have no idea what information it holds or where it might take you.

I envision another great use for the QR code is using your consumer to promote your business.

Of all the different marketing strategies, it has been established that person to person is the most effective, however it is also the most expensive. QR codes are a great way to capitalize on person to person marketing by making it easy for your consumers to promote you to their networks. I would love to see something that pairs the QR code with FourSquare, or Facebook Places so that with a point and click of the smart phone each person at your event/interacting with your product can let everyone know what they’re doing, where they are and how much they’re liking it.

I might be going out on a limb here, but I also see QR codes as a great marketing tool for smart phones, since if you want to be part of the trend you’ll need one. So our Telecom folks should be looking into a few key partnerships as a good idea for making sure that QR codes become a staple in the way we’re doing business.