The name may sounds familiar, but most people don’t know what it is and for what QR Code is used. In this post, we will make sure to introduce it to you properly so in the end of your reading you’ll be able to evaluate if it\'s worth to implement into your email marketing strategy.

This lack of knowledge about a technology that promised to conquer notorious popularity refers to a dialogue caught during a scene from The Simpsons. Trapped in another dimension, Homer asks if anyone had seen the movie Tron, a 1982 Disney’s production that was marked by the special effects created in the computer. You can check the answers in this video.

This reaction, certainly, would be the same if we did a survey to find out who has already used the QR Code. At least 99% would say \'no\' and the rest \'yes\', but only to confirm they know the technology. According to a study performed by Marketing Charts in 2013, only 21% of Americans with smartphones had used the device to scan the QR Code. In a society where mobile is increasingly getting power, connecting the physical and digital worlds, it’s only natural to think that the application would take off.

According to another research from comScore, since 2011 the number of mobile users has increased significantly, but the amount of people who had already used the QR Code remained stable.

Data extracted by Experian show companies side that apply QR Code in their mobile marketing strategies. To 66%, the app was considered effective, while 29% showed it’s a really effective technology. In addition, the Chief Marketer listed the reasons for this: traffic to website (61.1%), interaction between online and offline campaigns (54.4%) and directing visitors to a specific landing page (44.2%).

QR Code, an old fashioned tech

Created in 1994, the term means Quick Response. In a few words, it’s a two-dimensional barcode used to display or compose text messages, open an URL and save a contact.

Basically, it’s used in print ads, websites, business cards, among many other options. The scanning application can be installed on smartphones and tablets with a camera. With the app in hands, just shoot the QR Code and wait until the message is decrypted.

Understand what research shows to you

Now that you know what QR Code is and how to use it, let\'s examine what researches indicate. By the numbers above, the app seems to work well for a select group who knows how to implement it in their sales strategies for mobile marketing.

From customer’s point of view, the scope of this technique seems far away, since most people don’t know how to use QR code properly. The whole process, grabbing the cellphone from your pocket, opening the app to photograph the code ends up being not as intuitive as it should be.

In other words, the vision of the professionals who work with marketing is different from consumer statistics. However, this interest may be falling down, since the adoption of email marketing campaigns with QR Code decreased from 48% to 45% in 2013. Data are from Econsultancy.

QR Code vs URL: which strategy is better for your business

Therefore, the candidate who emerges as a solution to meet this connection between online and offline is the URL: simple, short and easy to remember. If you’re in doubt about whether or not to apply the QR Code in your Digital Marketing strategies, do an A / B Testing and find out if the app is effective for your company. Send a campaign with the URL and another one with the code. Then track your audience’s response through interactions.

Some email marketing campaigns are based on QR Code in order to attract readers attention. If you have a QR Code on your website, for example, you may use it to track who signed up (opt-in) to receive your newsletters via QR Code. Segment and customize your welcome emails for those users to generate an unique experience. Another way is through a sequence of autoresponder. Send short emails with tips or a random trivia about your business. Besides promoting interaction and engagement, you can apply the QR Code with a call like "Visit our weekly specials secrets". Enjoy the air of mystery the app somehow ends up showing. It’s almost an exclusive thing, since not even everyone knows about it. You can also add it along with a PowerPoint presentation or to promote an eBook to attract new contacts.

Each audience is unique, so why not test? What doesn’t work for a company can generate good answers for your business. Worth test to find out, don’t you think so?

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