More QR Codes In Store (And Elsewhere) For '12

Get used to seeing more of those QR codes on product packaging, advertisements and everywhere else.

According to a new survey of more than 500 marketers commissioned by AT&T, 88% plan to increase their mobile marketing programs over the next year, with mobile apps (those appearing on smartphones) and mobile barcodes topping the list of strategies they’re interested in deploying. (Only a little more than half are currently using them as part of their mobile strategy.)

The main driver among marketers to adopt QR codes into their mobile strategy is consumer engagement, says Mobeen Khan, chief marketing officer and executive director of AT&T Mobility Solutions. “What a barcode allows you to do is connect that offline world to the online world,” Khan tells Marketing Daily. “As soon as the consumer scans that barcode, you’re getting an engagement.”

At the same time, several other factors also contribute to a rising interest among marketers for barcodes, Khan says. First is the rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones among consumers. At the same time, consumer understanding and acceptance of such codes is increasing. And finally, marketers are beginning to understand how to make the experience richer for consumers.

“The consumer usage was not very thoughtful in early campaigns and it pushed the initial users off,” Khan says. “Now we are at a point where companies are educating the market about what is a good experience and what are the best practices.”

Moreover, two-thirds of respondents said they expected mobile barcodes to drive the innovation in overall mobile marketing next year, and 80% said they believe the tactic can increase brand awareness and customer engagement. The biggest factors to consider when creating these programs: consumer demand, security and cost. But what it all comes down to in the end, Khan says, is the value of the consumer experience.

“The consumers are engaging a lot more with these barcodes,” he says. “If the consumer experience is good, you are more than likely to use the scanner more and more for other products and other engagements than if you had a real bad experience.”