Do you know about these secret codes that corporations and savvy marketers are using right under your nose? They are called QR Codes and the technology behind them is very powerful indeed. So, what do they look like? They do not look like the conventional bar code. Look for a small square icon with what looks like a black maze on a white background.

Here is how they are defined on Wikipedia. “A QR Code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.” Quick Response codes are the big trend of today and tomorrow. A lot product packaging already includes a QR code that is scanned during inventory and checkout. But the codes of the future will be designed with the consumer in mind and not the checkout person. 소액결제현금화

These days, most smart phones have scanners for this code already installed in order to please those people who have come to expect immediate information. The consumers will not have to go home, boot up their computers, open a browser and type in a web address, which potentially they have already forgotten. Rather, they will be able to take out their smart phone, scan the code and devour the content directly on their mobile device, all while standing in the shopping mall.

These codes are gaining momentum as they continue to appear on shelf tags, in-store posters and product packaging. For example, a code on a garment can lead to a website full of enticing clothes, just waiting for you to buy online. A code on a shirt tag could transport you to a video of a celebrity who is endorsing the brand. The codes will be portals to the same kind of content that social media provides today, they have much more potential than adding Twitter and Facebook logos to the package because these codes are far more immediate and direct.

These codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications. Quick Response codes can be used to display text to the user, to add a contact to the user’s device or to open a website. Users can also generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites. Quick Response codes are very popular in Japan, even being found on tombs providing information about the deceased. Fox TV uses QR codes to advertise their programs. Starbucks is using QR codes to take micro payments.