Every week, one of my clients asks me about QR codes. Should they be using them? Why or why not?
I have been vocally anti-QR code since they rose in popularity in my area about four years ago. I consider them transitional technology, gaining attention at a time when smartphones were growing in popularity and businesses were trying to increase traffic to their mobile websites.They felt like a novelty, so I wasn't surprised to read articles about the Death of the QR code throughout 2013.
My objection to QR codes isn't purely aesthetic, though I think they junk up an ad or a shop window: They're literally indecipherable without a smartphone app. I have no idea what web address they're taking me to. Why hide that information?
QR codes don't make getting to a website easier. In fact, I find the process annoying: open an app (assuming you have one), scan the code, hope the app can decipher the code, wait for the website to launch. Or? You can cough up your website address in the first place, I can happily type it into my mobile browser, and boom. I'm on your website.
A lot of people I talk to are under the impression that a QR code will make them seem more tech savvy, but I think it's the opposite, especially with a high-end business (which a lot of mine are). My recommendation is to provide your website address, which can be memorized, revisited, and shared.