Explosion in QR Code Adoption Continues
Tuesday, 02 August 2011 00:00
by Heidi Tolliver-Nigro
More and more data continues to be released by QR code software generators and mobile services companies that reinforce the trend in QR / 2D barcode adoption. Whether it is for marketing purposes or logistics, QR code usage is exploding.
The latest data comes from ScanLife, which released its Q2 2011 mobile barcode trend report just a few days ago. The data reflects global usage from April 1 – June 30, 2011. While this is just one company (and reporting these data is not an endorsement of one QR code generator over another), the numbers are incredible.
Among the trends in the report:
• One year ago, the ScanLife system was processing 10 scans per minute. Now, it processes 1 scan per second.
• Scans come from over 125 different countries every day.
• QR codes / 2D barcode scanning is currently outpacing the growth of 1D barcodes, a major shift from 2010.
• Over 45,000 2D barcodes were generated from the ScanLife platform in Q2 2011, a 300% increase from one year ago.
• Over 400,000 unique UPC codes, or products, were scanned by the ScanLife app in a single month.
• The number of women scanning QR codes increased 13%, and the 35-44 age-group increased 8% from the prior quarter, showing a continued trend toward the mainstream.
These numbers are powerful, and remember, this is only one provider of QR code generation and tracking solutions among hundreds. What do they mean for you?
If you’ve been holding off integrating QR codes into your marketing out of concern that too few people understand what they are or how to use them, that barrier is quickly dropping. You see QR codes everywhere these days, and their use is quickly becoming mainstream, if it’s not already.
So while QR codes shouldn’t be a default response mechanism for your marketing campaigns, they should be included in your regular stable of options. You don’t need to wait for the next set of data to be certain of that.
Heidi Tolliver-Nigro is an industry analyst specializing in digital, 1:1, personalized URLs, QR codes, and other marketing technologies as they apply to print. You can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
