We’ve seen some really good uses of QR codes and this is definitely one of them: Jane, a baby products company, is using QR codes placed on car seats to help parents make sure that they have been fitted correctly into their cars.
There are two big reasons why this use of QR codes is thoughtful as well as relevant.
1) Information – The QR codes used by Jane are not being used as a mere gimmick that lead to the company’s home page. Instead, by using the codes to disseminate vital information through a video, the company is making sure that it is seen not just as a seller of products, but as an entity that actually cares about child safety. Most parents find it difficult to fit the car seats correctly and inadvertently place the lives of their children at risk, and Jane is seeing to it that this risk is considerably reduced.
2) Right time, right place – Placing an instruction booklet in the car seat packaging is, of course, important. But many people often forget to carry the booklets with them or accidentally discard them. However, by placing the QR codes on the car seats, Jane is making sure that parents have access to the instructions right when they actually need them.
Jane’s example demonstrates that in order to use QR codes correctly, marketers need to understand exactly what their customers need and at what stage they need them. The whole point of QR codes is instant and easy access to information and it is often in this aspect that marketers falter. Since customers expect different kinds of information from different products, it makes little sense to share the same information over and over again and to keep directing customers towards the company’s home page or Facebook page. This not only bores customers, but also comes across as self-serving. Instead, as Jane did, marketers need to use QR codes on products and their packaging to share information that is indispensable to customers. By doing so, brands will be adding more value to customers’ purchases at very little extra cost. In return, they earn the goodwill and loyalty of these customers, who appreciate the extra thought that brands put into their products.
