A new comScore study on mobile QR (Quick Response) code scanning readable by smartphones, found that 14 million mobile users in the U.S., representing 6.2% of the total mobile audience, scanned a QR
code on their mobile device. A mobile user that scanned a QR code was more likely to be male (60.5% of code scanning audience), skew toward ages 18-34 (53.4%) and have a household income of $100k or
above (36.1%).
Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile "QR codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can effectively be integrated into existing media
and marketing campaigns... "
A demographic analysis of those who scanned a QR code with their mobile phone in June revealed an audience that was more likely to be male, young to
middle-age and upper income. More than half of all QR code scanners were between the ages of 18-34. Those between the age of 25-34 were twice as likely as the average mobile user to engage in this
behavior, while 18-24 year olds were 36% more likely than average to scan. More than 1 of every 3 QR code scanners had a household income of at least $100,000, representing both the largest and most
over-represented income segment among the scanning audience.
advertisement advertisement Demographic Profile QR
Code Scanning Audience (Total Mobile Audience U.S. Age 13+) |
Audience | QR Code Audience (000) | % of QR Code Audience | Index (Code Scanners) |
Total Audience: Age 13+ | 14,452 | 100.0% | 100 |
Gender: | | | |
Male | 8,743 | 60.5% | 125 |
Female | 5,709 | 39.5% | 76 |
Age: | | | |
13-17 | 1,076 | 7.4% | 108 |
18-24 | 2,402 | 16.6% | 136 |
25-34 | 5,317 | 36.8% | 211 |
35-44 | 2,827 | 19.6% | 117 |
45-54 | 1,798 | 12.4% | 68 |
55-64 | 594 | 4.1% | 28 |
65+ | 437
| 3.0% | 22 |
Income: | | | |
<$25k | 1,193 | 8.3% | 54 |
$25k to <$50k | 2,597 | 18.0% | 79 |
$50k to <$75k | 2,756 | 19.1% | 96 |
$75k to <$100k | 2,689 | 18.6% | 125 |
$100k+ | 5,217 | 36.1% | 13 |
Source: comScore MobiLens, June 2011 |
The most
popular source of a scanned QR code was a printed magazine or newspaper, with nearly half scanning QR codes from this source. Product packaging was the source of QR code scanning for 35.3% of the
audience, while 27.4% scanned a code from a website on a PC and 23.5% scanned codes from a poster/flyer/kiosk.
Source of Scanned QR Code (Total Mobile Audience U.S. Age 13+) |
| QR Code Audience (000) | % of QR Code Audience (Mult. Sources) |
Total Audience: Scanned QR code with mobile phone | 14,452 | 100.0% |
Printed magazine or newspaper | 7,138 | 49.4% |
Product packaging | 5,101 | 35.3% |
Website on PC | 3,957 | 27.4% |
Poster or flyer
or kiosk | 3,393 | 23.5% |
Business card or
brochure | 1,940 | 13.4% |
Storefront | 1,850 | 12.8% |
TV | 1,693 | 11.7% |
Source: comScore MobiLens, June 2011 |
Among mobile users who scanned a QR code on their mobile devices in June, 58.0% did so from their home, while 39.4% did so from a retail store and 24.5% did so from a
grocery store.
Location When Scanning QR Code (Total Mobile Audience U.S.
Age 13+) |
| QR Code Audience (000) | % of QR Code Audience (Mult. Sources) |
Total Audience: Scanned QR code with mobile phone | 14,452 | 100.0% |
At home | 8,382
| 58.0% |
Retail store | 5,688 | 39.4% |
Grocery store | 3,546 | 24.5% |
At work | 2,844 | 19.7% |
Outside or on public transit | 1,827 | 12.6% |
Restaurant | 1,095 | 7.6% |
Source: comScore MobiLens, June 2011 |
For additional information from comScore, please
visit here, or for additional insights into QR Code usage in Europe, please visit the
comScore Data Mine here.