Return of the QR code: has Covid-19 made its presence permanent?
COVID-19 has changed everyday life, creating a new ‘normal’. And that new normal now has the integration of QR codes. Since transitioning to a contact-free society, this method has become the answer for businesses to stay afloat in the pandemic. But are they here to stay, and how has this piece of technology withstood time after countless past headlines announcing its demise.
For context, QR (quick response) codes were created in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary, primarily to track vehicles and parts in the manufacturing process. This later moved to commercial use, with businesses and marketers using this technology to publish their website URL, phone numbers, or 4,000 characters of text.
But what can you use a QR code for?
- Link directly to download an app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Authenticate online accounts and verify log in details.
- Access Wi-Fi by storing encryption details such as SSID, password, and encryption type.
- Send and receive digital payments.
- Check-in to a location/venue
- Hold online tickets for events
- Read PDF menus
- Link to website or social media account
- The possibilities are endless — a company in the UK called QR Memories even creates QR codes for use on gravestones, allowing people to scan the code to read more about that deceased person’s life (if they have an obituary or news story relating to them online)
More noteworthy from the list is the use of digital payments. Although QR codes saw a hiatus in the Western World, it has always been prevalent in Asia, more specifically in China with the use of AliPay.
Now, this isn’t anything new; basically, the same concept as Paypal with an online wallet marketed as an alternative payment method to NFCs (Near Field Communication) such as Apple Pay. But what is astounding is that over 90% of the Chinese population now use this mobile payment system.
So why hasn’t QR been popular all this time in the West?
Well, for starters, QR was ahead of its time. In the 2010s, technology hasn’t caught up, and there was a high barrier to entry. Not as many people had smartphones, and those who did would often need to download a third-party app to read the code.
Now to the present day, 82.9% of the UK population have a smartphone (that’s 55.5million people), and nearly all can read QR codes without a third-party app.
Examples of the QR being used today?
A great example that everyone is using (and should) is the NHS app. Politics and the fact that we had to download for our safety aside 👀 it was recorded that 20.9 million people in the UK and Wales downloaded the app (23rd December 2020). With many countries adopting the same system, it creates familiarity to future consumers, a great opportunity for the renaissance of the QR code.
Speaking of health… in celebration of ‘Freedom Day’ here in the UK, we ourselves created our own QR code. Now, if we were to tell you what it is, it’ll defeat the objective, so we’re just going to add the code at the end (sorry iPhone users).
Another contemporary example is Snapchat ‘Snap Codes’, where you can scan these codes to
add new friends, unlock filters/lenses, connect to exclusive content and be directed to a URL. Again, this is a great opportunity as it familiarises (younger) Gen Z with the technology.
Overall, if you ask us — in our humble opinion, we think it’s here to stay. This pandemic has shaped so much, and there is no going back to normal. With so many businesses already using this, it’ll be difficult not to use when keeping up with the market.
