QR Code: A New Era of Information Storage

(The QR code for our blog)

Definition

QR Code is two dimensional barcode (datamatrix) that is designed to have its contents decoded at a high speed. The acronym QR is derived from the term Quick Response. The company Denso Wave originally spawned the term “QR” as the creator intended that such barcodes and their contents were to decoded at high speed electronically.

History and Development

In 1970, IBM developed UPC symbols consisting of 13 digits of numbers to enable automatic input into computers.

1n 1974, Code 39 that can encode approximately 30 digits of alphanumeric characters was developed.

In the early 1980s, multistaged symbol codes where approximately 100 digits of characters can be stored were developed.

As informatisation developed fast nowadays, people ask for more innovated technologies which can store information and represent languages other than English, therefore, a symbol with higher density is required.

As a result, in 1994, Denso, one of major Toyota group companies, developed QR Code, which can contain maximum 7000 digits of characters.

In 2000, QR Code was approved as an ISO international standard (ISO/IEC18004).

Figure 1: History of Symbols

QR Code is a matrix symbol which has been developed as the one enabling all of high capacity, high density printing of datamatrix, and high speed reading of maxi code based on the research made on their characteristics. Two-dimensional symbols generally contain much more data amount when compared with linear symbols (approximately 100 times more). Modern QR Codes can store up to 7089 characters using the numeric character set—almost 4 times as much information as the first QR Codes of the mid 1990s.

Figure 2: The Development of QR Code

QR Code vs. Conventional Barcode

	QR Code	Conventional Barcode
Information	More -          Up to 7,089 characteristics	Less -          Maximum 20 digits
Creation	QR Code generator (Free of charge)	Relative complex
Decode	Any decoding software	Need special scanner (not cheap)

Unlike the standard barcode system in use today, QR codes are far more powerful and can contain much more information. While out current barcoding system holds information only one-way, QR Code holds info both vertically and horizontally.

The Structure of QR Code

QR Code is a matrix type symbol with a cell structure arranged in a square. It consists of the functionality patterns for making reading easy and the data area where the data is stored. QR Code has finder patterns, alignment patterns, timing patterns and a quiet zone.

Figure 3: The Structure of QR Code

• Finder Pattern is a pattern for detecting the position of the QR Code. By arranging this pattern at the three corners of a symbol, the position, the size, and the angle of the symbol can be detected.
• Alignment Patter is a pattern for correcting the distortion of the QR Code. It is highly effective for correcting nonlinear distortions.
• Timing Pattern is a pattern for identifying the central coordinate of each cell in the QR Code with black and white patterns arranged alternately. It is used for correcting the central coordinate of the data cell when the symbol is distorted or when there is an error for the cell pitch.
• Quite Zone is a margin space necessary for reading the QR Code. This quite zone makes it easier to have the symbol detected from among the image read by the CCD sensor.
• Data area is an area for storing the QR Code data. The gray part in Figure 4 represents the data area

The Specifications of the QR Code

The Specifications of the QR Code are as described in Table 1:

Table 1: The Specifications of the QR Code

• Symbol Size—QR Code can have its size freely selected according to the data volume to be stored and the reading method.
• Information Type and Volume—QR Code can handle various types of data such as numerical characters, alphabets, signs, Kanji characters, Hiragana, Katakana, control signs, and images.
• Data Conversion Efficiency—QR Code has 4 types of conversion mode for encoding the data. Each mode has had considerations to improve its conversion efficiency.
• Error Correction Functionality—QR Code had error correction functionality for restoring the data.

Overview of QR Code

Article Corporate Brand Reputation and Brand Crisis Management mentioned that ‘For decades corporate communications have played a meaningful role in building and supporting an organization’s identity and reputation. In today’s world, communications importantly include the organization’s website, where it can tell its side of the issue and establish a conversation/response capability.’ As a result, QR Code emerged with the higher requirements of communications. 
 
QR Code first hit mainstream when they were initially used for tracking parts by vehicle manufacturers. Then companies started to see a new scope for where QR Codes could be used elsewhere within the world. The most commercial use for QR Code is in the telecommunication industry where the mobile phone seems to be the biggest driver of their popularity. Just as Article The Hypercompetitive Global Marketplace: the Importance of Intuition and Creativity in Expatriate Managers said: ‘Global economic integration, domestic deregulation, and the evolution of information and telecommunication technologies have stimulated organizations to globalize their market positioning options in the past 5 years. ' And also, in the Article Globalization: A World-Systems Perspective, the author claimed that:'The information technology has created a context in which the global market, rather than separate national markets, is the relevant arena for economic competition.' The usage of QR code in the telecommunication industry may further stimulate the progress of globalization.

With the technology of mobile phones constantly expanding, especially within mobile Internet, QR Codes seem to be the perfect solution to quickly and efficiently bring mobile phone users onto the mobile web. QR Codes make their contents the perfect link between offline publications and smartphones. Magazines, business cards, newspapers, advertisements, posters or any medium that could display print can now connect a smartphone user to a specific webpage or allow users to download a file.

Nearly all mobile phone has a digital camera in today’s world. People can simply take a mobile phone such as iPhone, use the camera, along with decoding software to capture a picture of the QR Code, of which the QR Code software decoder can then transform the data held with the QR Code to a meaning action for the mobile phone such as connecting to a web address. This can be done within milliseconds making the transformation from a user’s mobile phone to the mobile web instantaneous.

The Uses of QR Code in Different Industries

As article - Cross-cultural Awareness mentioned, 'to get the information and effective communication you need, you have to find alternative approaches.' Therefore, only QR Code can be applied to different industries as many as possible can enhance QR Code's capability to make the communication between industries and customers better. The followings are the examples of industries that QR Code is applied to:

• QR Code in Advertising

QR code now is widely used in various fields. One typical industry where QR code is popular is commercial industry. Some marketers even called 2011 “The Year of the QR Code” and predicted that mobile tagging would become mainstream.

QR code allows companies a new way to target their customers or potential customers.  Generally speaking, people who pay attention to the latest technologies and look for most updated items are the major target market. 

Since QR codes can carry plentiful information, connecting the offline world to the online world, which shows enormous potential for marketers to make use of. Customer can easily scan the QR code by their smart phones and gather more information on the products. Companies can utilize QR codes to quickly direct customers to the product website or Google Maps URLs. Many companies also choose to link the code to their social media sites to promote their special products and sales. In the era of social media, most of customers are members of at least some of the social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, it is the right time to extend the marketing battlefield to social media sites. QR code is one of the most suitable technologies which allow companies to directly link customers to companies’ social websites and offer them special deals or discounts via the advertisement. 

Here is some photo collection of QR codes in advertising:

Pepsi Cup QR Code

Dr. Marten QR Code Window Cling

Wrigley Gum Packaging QR Code

Example : Clinique’s QR Code Marketing Campaign

Clinique, manufacturer of skin care and cosmetic products, utilized QR codes in their advertisements in 2010. Customers used their smart phones to scan the QR code in Vogue Magazine which led to Clinique’s website. Clinique provided a coupon for free shipping for online order as incentive. Besides, customers could directly make an order via scanning Clinique’s QR code.

Important Notice:

While QR code is becoming more and more popular in commercials, some of those QR campaigns still failed. Here are some important notices for marketers to bear in mind when they execute QR campaigns.

• The place of QR code should be easy to read and scan.
• Clear instruction to introduce how to scan
• Provide incentives ,such as coupon, to encourage customers to scan

• QR Code in Logistics

As article - Globalization 4.0 and the New Logistics said, there is 'a new phrase of global trade and advancements in logistic'. In order to support the logistic industry, nowadays QR Code is getting more and more popular in logistics industry. With QR Code, Logistic companies can store, locate, deliver and track their goods more effectively and efficiently.

QR Code Inventory System

In the past, logistics used barcodes to track goods. There were more than two linear barcodes printed in the boxes of goods because the system required multiple scans to obtain specific information founded on a detached database. The inconvenience caused by multiple barcodes can be easily improved by incorporating QR code. Since QR code can carry more information than barcode, all inventory information can be integrated into one QR code. Companies can install PDA scanners which accelerate the efficiency of tracking, modifying and reporting of goods.

Courier Tracking Systems

Since QR code carries more than 300 times information than ordinary barcode, express companies can choose to install QR code in their courier tracking systems. Employees easily scan QR codes on packages and shipping documents by PDA scanners. With the help of QR codes, the whole process becomes more effective and efficient with less labels and less scanning.

Custom Tracking System

Companies can customize the information needed in QR code, including origins, purchase order, invoice data. They can check the information as needed. To protect the confidentiality of sensible information, encrypted codes are used to track special information.

• QR Code in Retailing 

There’s a trend of using QR code technology in the retailing industry. For example, using this technology, Tesco in Korea (named “Homeplus” in Korea) has set up virtual grocery stores in locations like subway or metro stations so that people can literally do their grocery shopping while waiting for the train.

 

Like in the picture, Tesco has plastered posters of the groceries on the wall of station, and each item has a QR code which the shoppers can scan with a smartphone camera. Once the code is scanned, the shopper will be taken into an online shopping website and the detailed information of the scanned item will be decoded and clearly displayed on the phone. When the shopper confirms purchasing, the payment can be done automatically by the phone, and the item will be delivered directly to the shopper’s home. The graph shows clearly the QR code based purchasing process.

This kind of QR-code based online purchasing has a few advantages for both the customers as well as retailers. Firstly, in the countries like Korea, the normal life of people is quite busy, shoppers always shop once a week and purchase a lot grocery items, which is really lag. With this kind of virtue store on train/subway station, the shoppers can purchase the needed items timely and won’t waste a lot of time.
Secondly, in some major cities where the driving isn’t really an option, by getting groceries delivered right to home, people don’t need to lug heavy bags on the train and up a couple of flights of stairs before they reach their door. And this kind of problem is common in East Asia where large cities are always densely populated.
Thirdly, a retailer can collect information on the shopper, such as when and where a code was scanned, how many codes were scanned and etc. And hence the retailers can conduct some analysis about the shopping pattern of the customers, and provide the customer with specially designed promotions, like coupons. Besides, currently, most retailers have similar loyalty program just available to the card holders, but by using QR code, the program can be promoted to the mobile phone holders.
Fourthly, as the QR-code store is virtual, so a lot rental costs can be saved. And online selling also benefit from it, according to Tesco, after the QR-code stores established in Korea, the number of new online registered members rose by 76% and online sales increased 130%.

With the increasing usage of smartphone, QR codes will become the mainstream of retailing industry soon. Recent research predicts that two-thirds of retailers are planning digital mobile initiative launch, and many of these will include a QR code capability. Manufacturers are already planning to incorporate this technology into advertising and packaging.

• QR Code in Ticket Selling

QR code also represents an opportunity for online ticket selling. Nowadays, although people can purchase ticket online, but most still collect paper ticket from the counter or ticket vending machine. Now, the online ticket service provider can generate a QR-code ticket containing necessary identity information, and directly send it to the buyer’s mobile phone after the payment is done. The buyer can just use the mobile phone to scan the QR code when check in.

Currently in China, all the train ticket has a QR code printed on it, which contains one specific passenger’s identity information. The QR code can prevent some scalpers bulk purchase a lot tickets during busy season (e.g. Spring Festival) and sell at a high price. Although the QR code is still not yet linked with online train ticket selling, it is a trend and may become realistic in the future.

Besides the public transportation, QR-code ticket is also applied in selling movie ticket, concert ticket, plane ticket or something else. Now the companies which are providing QR code tickets include Air Asia, NBA, MovieTickets.com, and etc. According to a study by Juniper research, analysts predict that the market for mobile ticketing will reach 15 billion delivered tickets by the year 2014.

QR code ticketing can benefit both ticket issuer and the purchaser. Consumers win because a digitized ticket is easier to access via their mobile phones, and they don’t need to waste time to leave the house and get the real paper ticket. For ticket sellers, they can also reach customers more easily, and save a huge amount of money by not printing out the paper tickets.

But the privacy issue is a major concern for the QR-code ticketing, as the QR code can be easily read by using QR code applicants. For some QR-code ticket which contains personal information, like the train ticket, may become a threat for passengers in leaking out privacy. Therefore, the service provider should pay attention on the security.

QR code is also applied and has potential to be applied in other industries, and without a doubt, QR code enlarges the channel by which customers get information of the company. David Cavett-Goodwin claimed in the Article Making the Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: ' A better informed society will be empowered to ensure that the organizations operate to the benefit of that society.' Therefore, the companies with QR code service may better serve the customers as well as the whole society. 

Limitation of QR Code

QR Codes are everywhere. You can see them on business cards, newspapers, magazines, posters and so on. Although using QR Codes are quite common these days, from the views of consumers and marketers, there are some conditions may put a limit on QR Codes’ usages and development.

• Rely on Other Tools

QR Codes cannot stand alone and tell you what it contains. It must rely on other tools for decoding. As a consumer, smartphone serves as hardware while QR Code Reader app in smartphone serves as software to decode the QR Codes. They are the key and a must to decode QR Codes. If you see a QR Code, but you do not have any QR Code Reader to scan it, you would never know what information the QR Code contains. This tight relationship put a limit in the usage of QR Codes. Without any decoding QR Codes devices, QR Codes means nothing to some consumers.

On the other side, as a marketer, creating QR Codes is easy by only using QR Code generator found on the Internet. Also, many websites offer software to marketers to track their QR Codes. Then, marketers can know when and where the codes are scanned, and how many times the codes are scanned. Although it is easy to create and manage, it still cannot stand alone but need the support from the other tools. If we take logistic company using QR Codes as an example, those supporting tools or system would need to be more sophisticated and accurate.

• Particular Target of Consumers

As what is mentioned in the previous paragraph, QR Codes need smartphone and QR Code Reader to decode them. However, even though smartphone sales are increasing worldwide, not everyone has smartphone and the age groups that have smartphone are particular. Take the situation in America as an example. According to Nielsen’s smartphone report 2012, those who have smartphone are aged from 18 to 44. Higher than 50% of America in these age groups has smartphone. The percentage is decreased as the ages increase. We suppose that people having smartphone would have QR Code Reader installed in the smartphone. Then, as a marketer, you need to decide whether you use QR Codes or not depend on whom you want to sell. If your target of potential consumers is elderly, you are better to not use QR Codes to promote your product or service because they barely use smartphone.

• Without Proper Control

There is no management system to control QR Codes. Everyone can create them, post them and track them. The loose control may bring two problems: A) QR Codes Viruses and B) Leaks of Privacy. These may result in obstructing the usage and development of QR Codes. The details are explained as follows:

A)   QR Codes Viruses

QR Codes are almost flooding. You can see them everywhere. As a consumer, because of curiosity and convenience, sometimes, we would scan the QR Code rather than typing the websites’ addresses. However, do you ever think that they contain dangerous information or link you to dangerous websites? Due to no proper QR Codes control, many junk QR Codes or QR Codes with viruses exist, which may suddenly ruin your phone or steal your data inside the phone. As the appearances of QR Codes are extremely similar without any warning or hint to tell you if they are safe or not, it is always better to keep in mind that you should ‘SCAN ONLY WHEN YOU TRUST IT’.

B)   Leak of Privacy

Without proper control, anyone can use other personal information to create a QR Code. If you are a financial consultant or executive candidate or marketer, you would like the idea to get you more exposure to the public so as to let others know you and contact you. However, as an individual, normally, you would feel annoying and offensive if someone post your personal data without permission. Also, as a consumer, QR Codes tracking system can detect when and where you scan the QR Codes. Your privacy is somehow leaked. Therefore, in order to prevent the leak of privacy, it is better to be careful the linked websites that require the input of personal information and think before you enter those information.

Conclusion and Future Prospect of QR Code

Without a doubt, QR Codes provide quick interactive, customized marketing, and multimedia experience between a consumer and the product or service or brand. The future of QR Codes is quite optimistic.

Through reading our blog, you can easily recognize that it is convenient to create QR Codes with different usage. Basically, any products with limited space on pack with the need of communicate or showing complicate or much information needs QR Codes. They save space and money for marketers for advertising. They save time for consumers for checking information. It is not difficult to predict that more marketers would use QR Codes as a new way of marketing while more consumers would use them as a new way of checking and storing information.

According to Gartner’s Q3 2011 Smartphone Report, the worldwide smartphone sales to end users are increasing. Take operating system – Android as an example. It accounted for 52.5 percent of smartphone sales in third quarter of 2011. This figure is the double of its market share from the third quarter last year. Smartphone is the key to decode QR Codes. Increasing sale of smartphone is beneficial for the development of QR Codes.

                                                Sources: Gartner’s Q3 2011 Smartphone Report

According to Deleuze, thinking, and for that matter, learning, requires an encounter which forces us to think as we realize that “our typical ways of being in the world are challenged, our systems of knowledge disrupted”. Thinking comes along when there is a rupture which compels us to come up with a different way of seeing the world.

---Inventive Pedagogy and Aesthetic Practices: Embodying Learning

 
In the future, QR Codes can also be the source of much-hyped mobile innovation. Take augmented reality as an example. Augmented reality is a live view of a physical and real world environment which is modified by computer-generated sensory input. It enhances the current perception of reality and combines real and virtual. QR Code serves as anchor of augmented reality that may be an innovative way of marketing. Here are some examples:

Adidas mix QR Code with augmented reality to transform the shoe into a gun

BMW use QR Code to support augmented reality to allow potential customers to view new model of car

QR Code can used to promote 3D music

References

• BeQRious (2010). QR Code Vs. Conventional Barcode. Retrieved 2012, April 15 from http://beqrious.com/qr-code-vs-conventional-barcode/
• Bergen, J. (2011). Korea’s Tesco reinvents grocery shopping with QR-code “stores”. Retrieved 2012 April 15 from http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/koreas-tesco-reinvents-grocery-shopping-with-qr-code-stores-20110628/
• Boyfle, H. (2011, September 7). The future of QR Codes. Retrieved 2012, April 15 from http://blog.creamglobal.com/right_brain_left_brain/2011/09/the-future-of-qr-codes.html
• Dr QR Code (2012, March 16). Using QR Codes in Commercials. Retrieved  2012 April 14 from http://orangeqr.com/using-qr-codes-in-commercials/
• Dr QR Code (2011, December 14). Clinique’s QR Code Marketing Campaign. Leap Code Technologies Ltd. (2009). Tracking & Logistics, Use QR Codes to Track Goods. Retrieved 2012 April 14from http://leapcode.ca/?p=208
• Jason. (2010). Best Buy deploys QR codes to enhance shopping experience. Retrieved 2012 April 15from http://retailgeek.com/retail/best-buy-deploys-qr-codes-to-enhance-shopping-experience/
• Jeff K. (2011, February 7). How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business. Retrieved 2012, April 16 from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-qr-codes-can-grow-your-business/
• Jennifer, V. G. (2010). New mobile ticketing service issues: QR code tickets via SMS. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/09/24/mogotix/
• n.d. (2012, February 20). Survey: New U.S. smartphone growth by age and income. Retrieved April 16, 2012 from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/survey-new-u-s-smartphone-growth-by-age-and-income/
• Noam. (2011, November 16). Gartner’s Q3 2011 Smartphone Report, Android Tops. Retrieved 2012, April 16 from http://technomondo.com/2011/11/16/gartners-q3-2011-smartphone-report-android-tops/
• Orangeqr. (2012, March 7). Qr codes in the future. Retrieved 2012, April 12 from http://orangeqr.com/qr-codes-in-the-future/
• Oreilly, E. (2011, October 12). Infected QR Codes or Mashable Hype?. Retrieved 2012, April 15 from http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-virus/
• Steven, M. (2011). China’s QR code bullet train tickets spill your personal information. Retrieved 2012 April 15 from http://www.techinasia.com/qr-train-tickets/
• StrategiesGrowth. (2010). QR Codes: The next step in retailer loyalty programs. Retrieved 2012 April 15 from http://marketingwithnewtechnology.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/qr-codes-the-next-step-in-retailer-loyalty-programs/
• Tan, J. S. (2008). QR Code. Synthesis Journal, 59-78. Retrieved  2012 April 14 from http://orangeqr.com/cliniques-qr-code-marketing-campaign/
• Tanny, J. (2010, September 1). QR Codes: Connecting the online and offline worlds. Retrieved 2012, April 15 from http://sparksheet.com/qr-codes-connecting-the-online-and-offline-worlds/
• QR Codes in Advertising ( 2012, April 13). Photo Collection of QR Codes in Advertising. Retrieved 2012 April 14 from http://qrcodes-in-advertising.blogspot.com/