Building eCommerce Applications

Chapter 20. 10 Best Practices for Employing QR Codes

Brenna Roth

In the last several years, the proliferation of smartphones has led to a breakthrough in online marketing. To better communicate with their customers in this new digital marketplace, many cutting-edge entrepreneurs and marketing firms are turning to Quick Response (QR) Codes to convey information with greater speed, efficiency, and convenience than ever before.

QR Codes are a known commodity with unknown potential. They were developed in Japan during the mid-’90s, and they are an integral part of that country’s high-tech cellphone culture. More recently, savvy artists, guerilla marketers, and business owners have adapted QR technology for use in the American and European markets.

So what is a QR Code? On the most basic level, a QR Code is an arrangement of black modules on a white background within a square measuring at least 1.25″ by 1.25″. It is a matrix barcode, meaning it’s two-dimensional, and the arrangement of modules is unique to each code. Once scanned, these modules transmit data to the scanning device—either a smartphone or dedicated QR scanner. The potential for this data is limited only by the imagination of the code’s creator; usually, it links to a website where the customer can purchase or learn about a product, service, or event.

One of the primary advantages of QR Codes is access to advanced metrics. This access ensures that you know who is visiting your website and how they found it—vital information ...