History of QR Codes
QR codes were developed by Denso, a subsiduary of Toyota in 1994. There initial use was track vehicles quickly during the manufacturing process.
However, their fast readability and ability to hold lots of data has given QR codes a new lease of life for use in the Public Domain and they have been seen more recently on the back of envelopes, DVD's and even on large posters, on billboards or buildings.
Why use a QR code?
QR codes can hold a relatively large amount of data. This could be simply textual information, but more commony a unique URL to a website. In fact QR Codes can even initiate an SMS message and automatically fill in the 'to' number and the Message body.
What are the benefits?
Traditional adverts require the end user read the advert and the advert often encourages a call to action - such as displaying a phone number or website address.
QR codes are more secretive and the code needs to be decoded before you can see what it is. This element of secrecy often means end users read the code on their phone as they have no idea what it is and the 'need to know' often gets the better of them.
The great advantage of QR codes is that once the code has been scanned the end user is free to carry on with their daily life and the information captured has been saved.
Our service gives the end user a link to follow which opens up a 'micro-site' in their mobile phones browser. This is known as 'hard linking'.
Micro-sites are designed for mobile phones. They are of very small width and icons and information are clearly displayed in a way that offers good readability. The page viewed can easily be bookmarked or retreived later by the end user. Traditional websites when opened in a mobile phone browser can perform unpredictably or not work at all. Micro-sites are the way around it.
QR Code Facts
QR Codes can store 4296 alphanumeric characters.
There is no need to remember advert visual details. Scanning captures a link to a micro-site that can contain lots of useful information.
To read a QR code, the end user must have a QR code reader on their mobile. Currently only smart phones (such as android, iphone and windows mobile) are equipped to read QR Codes. As the market of smart phones grows, especially with the constant releases of numerous iphones and android phones, end users are becoming better equipped than ever to read QR Codes. QR codereaders are readily available in App stores on the end users mobile phone for free.
Sharing your content
With our unique service, 'share' buttons are included which allow the end user to share your mobile site with their friends, family and colleagues at the press of a button through social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google. Imagine your advert becoming viral and increasing exposure of your products and services beyond anything you can imagine!
With the simple QR code, the possibilities are endless.