Important Update
QR Codes are not a newbie in town these days, in fact, a well-groomed and popular technology used by different brands and companies worldwide. The QR code is not like a usual bar code, which you get on the boxes or packages of commercial items. These are quick response codes that work to store huge information and can be decoded using a mobile device. To transfer and popularize a set of information to many people easily seems to be an amazing technique used.
QR (quick response) code was created in 1994 by a company from Japan named Denso Wave. Since then, QR codes gradually became one of the most popular types of 2D barcodes in use around the world. QR code remains registered as a trademark of the company that is responsible for its creation. Although Denso Wave retains the trademark right of the QR code, it doesn’t receive any royalty as the company has refused to patent the code.
A QR code is not a product but a marketing tool that helps the business to attract more consumers from the market. It is a simple model of having people interested to know the information about the business or product. With the help of QR codes, businesses are presenting the ideas and features of the business that are not explained in one post.
• It can be scanned using a smartphone or any other phone with scanning capability.
• QR codes are versatile, they can encode almost all types of data e.g. numeric, alphabets, special and binary.
• Extremely fast scanning.
• Like other 2-d barcodes, the QR code has good fault tolerance. Even if some part of the code is damaged, information can still be decoded from the code.
• Stores a large amount of information, unlike 1-d barcodes.
• Smartphones used to scan QR codes are often expensive in comparison with simpler phones.
• Relatively new barcode type, people are not much familiar with its use. Requires training in order to fully understand the concept.
• Not very aesthetic, it contains random patterns of square boxes which might not look pleasing on products, unlike 1-d barcodes.
You can build your own custom QR codes with ByteScout. Simply input the desired information, customize the design, and it’s ready to go!
QR code comes with a huge list of QR code advantages that makes it, even more, important for your business to attract and reach out more of potential consumers or business. It seems to be a friendly technology with so many advancements and benefits as a whole. It is always good to find out these benefits for good.
It’s not possible to make a potential client read everything about your product on a single page. At your display section having longboards of texts can be boring, and people will not be interested. But, a QR code can have the information stored and work for you to get the consumers to the page you want them to read. With just one code you can simply let them redirected to your web page or any specific content that is essentially important for your business growth.
The QR code can store a maximum number of numeric, alphanumeric, binary (8 bits), and Kanji or Kana, which stand at 7089 characters, 4296 characters, and 1817 characters, respectively. This store capacity of the QR code makes it suitable for a wide range of uses.
The advantage of QR codes is the versatility that lets you use them for many purposes. As such, it can be utilized for a wide range of purposes or functions. It’s not just about business promotion but an expansion of a project as well. From marketing to storing information this can be a wonderful way to keep the files smart and information secured on the web to make it accessible later on.
The world has gone digital, and everyone likes to interact in digital ways. If you have a digital face of your business, it is an identification of a progressive and optimistic business. Another QR code advantage: they let you disseminate your message effectively and build up the vibrant image of your company.
If you will go for the conventional advertising methods, there is a huge cost involved in its designing and printing. You will have to go through some materials and procedures. Instead, a custom QR code helps you to disseminate your message effectively to some people through digital sources within no time.
For example, a company can use a QR to provide more information about its activities or website. A client can easily scan the QR to gain access to the information or store it for future use.
Since they are virtually free or at least cheap, even if you get the QR code printed, you don’t need to have prints in bulk. Therefore, using QR codes for advertisement is cheap and easy.
QR codes are a total way of going digital all the way around. It brings you the chance to be environment-friendly and avoid the use of paper and other materials. Custom QR code helps you to save the investment on paper and other material products you commonly use for marketing or publicity. It lets you make the best use of digital screens people hold in your hands. Only by providing them the digital QR codes you can let them have access to the best information without investing in paper products.
The QR code has a very good error adjustment capacity. In the event of a mistake, while reading, codes can successfully be restored. The error adjustment capacity of QR codes is in four levels, each having a different correction capacity. These correction levels are Level L (low), Level M (medium), Level Q (quartile), and Level H (High). Codeword restoration capacities of 7%, 15%, 25%, and 30% correspond to Level L, Level M, Level Q, and Level H, respectively.
The best part of using a QR code is its general ease of use. Anyone can use QR codes. No special staff or training is required. Additionally, you do not need to type any code to get it going. Also, you don’t have to print the code in every situation.
QR code benefits are extensive for the business and commercial world. It does have some disadvantages and loops at the back end that need a solution for sure. It is important to know the QR code limitations before completely relying on them to make a better deal.
The major challenge you have to face with the QR codes is the familiarity of the codes to the public. A few consumers in the market know the QR code technology and focus on utilizing it. Many people prefer to use conventional methods of accessing information as that is an easy one. It is not possible to have the public as aware as perceived to receive the information through innovative sources.
To scan the QR codes smartphones or the devices that come with the QR scanners are required. It simply limits the reception audience as a few numbers of people have access to the devices or make use of these expensive gadgets properly. It holds the way of innovation and causes you to face a little problem with getting information distributed rapidly. Since not every individual possesses a smartphone or has access to an image scanner, many people don’t get to access the information.
Not many people are fond of QR code structures as these seem a little vivid and out of a specific shape. It causes another hurdle in the way of its popularity. Though some international brands have their QR codes packaged on the products a less number of people are intended to extract information using these codes. Moreover, most of them are not aware of extracting the desired information from the source provided in the QR code.
The QR code technology might not be so friendly at times. It does have some of its flaws with the connectivity and many other maintenance issues. It doesn’t seem appealing to people who do not like the complications of technology. So, they tend to avoid them or are not interested in giving it a try.
To access the information using QR codes we need to connect the devices to the internet which requires a little maintenance. Not everyone is available with an internet connection or free wifi all the time to access the information. So, being friendly to this technology might cost much to people in general.
In some cases, QR codes may become distorted, which can lead to improper reading by a device. In other instances, interface issues can lead to problems when reading QR codes. QR code readers have been known to direct users to site versions that are not mobile phone friendly. Malicious individuals have also used QR codes for their wayward desires.
This is a type of scanner device that can read and decode information from dark and white bars. Barcodes, which are made up of three parts, rely on the electro-optical principle to scan and decode information necessary for the user. Different types of barcode readers are available, with each having its advantages and disadvantages.
Barcodes are primarily used in both retail and production industries, depending on their needs. The main advantages of using these scanners include:
RFID is an acronym for “Radio-Frequency Identification.” It relies on radio waves to decode information encoded in RFID tags and other smart labels. Most RFID devices have three major components: an antenna, RFID reader, and RFID tag.
This is how the three compare:
| QR Codes | Barcodes | RFIDs | |
| Inventory support | Can collect data necessary for inventory | Can collect data essential for inventory | Can collect data required for inventory |
| Convenience | Serve their primary purposes well | Serve their basic purposes well | Serve their basic purposes well |
| Mode of operation | It relies on light and sensors to read information | It depends on light and sensors to read information | It relies on waves to scan data and read information |
| Speed of operation | Process tags individually | Process tags individually | Can process a lot of RFID cards in a second |
| Security | Easy to use but less secure as compared to RFIDs | Easy to use but less secure as compared to RFIDs | More secure and complicated |
| Environmental hazard protection | Data is exposed and can suffer from physical damages | Information is exposed and can suffer from physical damages | RFID inlays are hidden hence protecting them from environmental hazards |
| Cost | Limited options but affordable | More affordable as compared to RFIDs | Extensive and more expensive |
QR codes seem to be an advanced mode of advertising and marketing that brings innovation to the field. On the other hand, advancement comes with some limitations that require a solution. A little more awareness and a technology-friendly attitude will bring real change in the situation.
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ByteScout Team of Writers
ByteScout has a team of professional writers proficient in different technical topics. We select the best writers to cover interesting and trending topics for our readers. We love developers and we hope our articles help you learn about programming and programmers.
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