You may have seen them popping up in trade magazines, brochures or consumer ads.  They look a bit like barcodes, but there aren’t any bars.  Instead these boxes resemble an unsolvable puzzle.  What are they, and how do they impact your buying or advertising?

The official name for these codes is QR, which stands for Quick Response.  A QR code allows instant access to online information, which means that it is a shortcut to getting to a web site without typing in a long URL. You scan the QR using the camera on your smart phone, and are instantly connected to a specific landing page online.

I mention the term landing page because one of the advantages of using a QR code is that the person scanning it can go to a page that has a much more detailed web address (or URL) that your home page.  Our shop’s web address, for example, is www.orangetreeimports.com, but if you want to look at our selection of toys the full URL is http://www.orangetreeimports.com/featured.jsp?category=Toys.  No one wants to type in that long an address, and it’s hard to do it accurately.

One example of creating a landing page specifically tied to a QR would be a coupon or special offer that can be instantly accessed by anyone using this technology.  Another would be creating a page with more detailed information about a specific product.  You could have a QR code posted on a merchandise display taking the customer directly to either of these.

If you honor coupons and special offers accessed by the consumer just showing you the page on their Smartphone, you can decrease your use of paper. This is of course an environmental plus, although I think that you still will want to keep some written records to track the promotion’s success.

Another use of the QR code is to take consumers directly to your Facebook or Twitter page and have them sign on right away. Social networking is of course more effective the more “friends” and followers you have, so making it easy for people to sign on is a real plus. 

As a buyer, you can benefit from QR technology by accessing more information about products that display a QR code in their ad or on their packaging.  We may see more of this used at trade shows in the future, and in advertising within our industry. 

And speaking of technological advances, I am still waiting for my first sales rep to come present their product photos on an iPad, despite the fact that 8.5 million units were sold in 2010.  With the wonderful color clarity of the iPad, and the fact that pictures can be enlarged with a finger-touch, merchandise will show up really well using this method.  And since the rep and I can both look at it simultaneously — not easy to do with a laptop — the iPad is perfect for a sales meeting.  I hope that manufacturers will soon figure out a way to take advantage of this popular new tool.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder