Do People Use QR Codes in 2021? (Spoiler Alert: YES!)
The Rise of QR Codes
It is not an exaggeration to say that QR codes are everywhere. Among 500 participants in a recent Brij survey, more than 90% had scanned a QR code with their smartphone within the last month, and over half had done so within the week! Furthermore, 91% of respondents said they wanted to see QR codes used more broadly in the future, and over three quarters of people surveyed were willing to share their email address with a brand in exchange for discounts – perhaps highlighting an opportunity for future QR code adoption.
Whether it’s to view a menu, order ahead, download an app, or even to get to this article, you most likely have experience with QR code scans by now. The food industry was one of the first to integrate this technology into their contactless blueprint, and within months, QR codes were placed not only on restaurant tables but also on store windows, at vaccination sites, and along museum walls. To read more about the pandemic’s influence on the reemergence and widespread use of QR codes, check out our article, “Q-R You Ready? The Future of QR Codes.”
Barcodes, But Better
There is no shortage of articles that comment on the revitalization of QR codes during the pandemic. Headlines such as “How the Pandemic Saved the QR Code From Extinction” and “How Covid Turbocharged the QR Revolution” give a good recap of this expeditious ascent. And still, the numbers tell a much more impressive story. Businesses have experienced tremendous growth in QR code usage: Egoditor, a mobile marketing company that runs an online QR code generator, has seen a 25x increase in signups from restaurants in June 2020 compared to February 2020. Seek, which uses QR codes in its augmented reality solutions, experienced a 600 percent increase in AR usage since March.
Even though we've touched on this before, it's worth repeating that the native mobile camera app integration was a huge driver for increasing QR code adoption. Before that, users had to load their app store of choice and search "quick response codes" to download countless (often ad supported) apps. The native integration has accelerated utility and accessibility tremendously.
The iOS and Android camera app has company in this space, too. Facebook, Google, Instagram, and Snapchat have all experimented heavily with static QR codes, dynamic QR codes, and other iterations for various interaction modalities. Nonetheless, these tech giants still haven't figured out how to build a bridge between the physical and digital worlds (more on this in a moment).
