Most Brits ‘don’t know what a QR code is’

Just over a third (36%) of Brits know what QR Codes are, and only 11% have actually used them, according to a new survey. The study, published by research agency Simpson Carpenter, looked at the rise in retailers using Quick Response (QR) codes- barcodes designed to be scanned by smartphones to offer information and promotions about products and services. With retailers looking to exploit mobile technology and QR codes starting to appear in more places it may be of concern to those endorsing the medium that just under half of respondents (43 per cent) said they thought they had never seen one.
06/09/2011

Kevin Connolly, Director of Major Studies at Simpson Carpenter, said: “Having carried out this piece of research online the respondents are by default heavily engaged with the internet. They aren’t necessarily early adopters but they certainly aren’t technophobes and they are no doubt the target audience for many brands already using QR codes.”
Even amongst those who have used the medium before, only 47 per cent found them very useful and want to see them more widely available, whilst 33 per cent found them useful on occasions and do not mind using them.
More work, and possibly better offers, may be needed to convince an apathetic public to the advantages of the new technology with the remaining 20 per cent saying they do not think they offer any real advantages.
Connolly continued: “Currently technology and familiarity appear to be the key reasons for non-use, but consumers need to see real benefits before they’ll start using them in earnest.
“Marketers would do well to focus on educating and informing consumers about their purpose rather than simply adding QR codes to their products and their advertising campaigns.”