The Changing Nature of Technology
If one thing is for certain, it’s that technology is ever-changing. Being far from immutable in all senses of the word, technology is always shifting and flowing as it marches onward. Perhaps these QR naysayers do have some validity to their claims; although not to the extent that they probably imagine. While it’s true that virtually all technology will get replaced eventually, it’s not true to say that the technology in question is not going to have a strong run… and QR technology is fresh in the industry.
So What’s the Problem?
So why do people think that QR codes are going to get replaced before they’ve even had a chance to fulfill their full potential? It’s because people use them stupidly. That’s right: stupidly. Most businesses and companies have been using QR codes like narcissistic drama queens. What’s the bottom line? People don’t care about your website. Many people don’t bother to scan QR codes because there is simply no reward for doing so. Think about it from a consumer’s point of view: if you’re sitting in a pub, drinking a pint of your favorite beer, and you happen to catch a glimpse of a poster on the wall for a beer company, and on that poster is a QR code, are you really going to pull out your smartphone, activate the camera, and scan the QR code? For what? So you can be brought to a webpage that promotes Miller Genuine Draft? No. You’re not going to do that. Why? Because there’s absolutely no motivation for it.
So What’s the Solution?
The solution to this should be obvious to all: offer the consumer a good reason to scan your QR code. The aim of marketers needs to be to make QR codes as ubiquitous as possible – that way, people won’t think about the effort it takes to take out their smartphone and snap a photo. It will become second nature to them. But giving users no motivation will not achieve the ubiquity of QR technology. Companies need to start using QR technology in intelligent ways. They can do this by offering things like coupons, promotions and contests that will spark user interest. If businesses will wake up from their self-absorbed, megalomaniacal coma, they can together start creating the well-deserved buzz that QR codes should already be fostering.
QR technology provides limitless ideas to marketers – and it’s their responsibility to use it to its full potential. So what’s the conclusion of all of this? If companies don’t smarten up, then the naysayers may be right. Innovative and intelligent technology will die if not used in an innovative and intelligent fashion. Let’s start using this useful technology in more creative ways. By doing so, it is certain that QR technology will undoubtedly have a long shelf-life.