Do People Scan QR Codes? Yes, They Do, and Here is the Proof

A good marketer always has a bit of skepticism about new trends. It only takes a few failed projects to realize what works for one brand, may not work for yours. And we are so busy that “shiny object syndrome” can cost us valuable time and resources.

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Naturally, the resurgence of QR codes raises eyebrows. Especially because updating product design or packaging to include a QR Code Experience can be a big project. And for some brands, real estate on packaging for a QR code is not a commodity. Consequently, packaging redesigns can take months to strategize and execute. 

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And the first question that is inevitably asked is “Do people even scan QR Codes?” 

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The short answer: YES! People scan QR Codes.

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There is a large body of evidence to support the fact that QR code scanning is going mainstream. 

The data behind QR Code usage

The team at Brij conducted research about usage and desires around QR codes.

Here is what we found.

• 91% of people had scanned a QR code
• 91% believe QR codes are as helpful as smartphone apps
• 89% wanted to see more use of QR codes
• 86% of people had scanned a QR code in the last month

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We surveyed 548 residents of the United States between the age of 20 and 60 years old and 80% of the respondents were in the 25 - 50 age group. 

We ran the survey in May 2021, a year into the Coronavirus pandemic when awareness of the QR code was spiking. However, as you will see later in this article, interest in QR codes is only growing since COVID has subsided. 

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We are not the only ones looking into QR code usage. eMarketer has been tracking QR code scanner usage. 

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Prior to 2020, QR Code adoption in the U.S. was not trivial at 52.6M or 16% of the U.S. population. The use of AR/VR technology was comparable in 2019. 

According to research from eMarketer, it is projected that by 2025, the number of mobile phone users scanning a QR code in the US will reach 99.5M people or 29% of the U.S. population. This would be nipping on the heels of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home which currently have a 35% adoption rate.

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The numbers seem low compared to our own study, so it's worth noting the following:

• 40% of the U.S. population is under 18 or over 65 (KFF)
• 15% of adults still do not use SmartPhones (Statista)
• 12% of population are below the poverty line (Census.gov)

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We also used Amazon MTurk to conduct our survey, which could possibly introduce bias to a more techsaavy crowd. However, techsaavy also correlates with knowledge and desire to shop online..

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It’s fair to say that QR codes are going mainstream.