You may have seen one of these images on the back of your favorite shampoo bottle or vending machine beverage, but these new-age barcodes are much more than what meets the eye.
These images—QR or "Quick Response" codes—are 2D matrix barcodes that, when scanned, link consumers to business web pages, emails, contact information, and more. This is a great new way to provide yet another form of interaction with attendees or exhibitors at your next trade show.
How it Works
QR Codes work in virtually the same way as linear barcodes except that they have the ability to store much more information. First, a phone must be able to scan QR codes; there are many options including specialized apps and some phones can scan with the camera app.
Then simply by scanning the barcode with your smartphone camera while using the app, the coded URL, bookmark, or phone call is automatically launched.
Where to Get a QR Code
In order for your business to successfully use QR Codes at your next trade show, you need to use a QR Code generator. This is an easy, free online system and, again, there are many options that will fit your business needs. More and more QR generators are being created every day, but listed below is an option that I think is the easiest to get started with:
- QRCodify - This takes less than a minute to generate a code and gives the option to put in anything you'd like and you can even choose the foreground and background colors.