- Apr 7, 2009
- 4,622
- 2,112
- Awards
- 10
- First Name
- Joe
QR Codes - In or Out?
- Thread starter ppenton
- Start date
Kevin, thanks for the plug.
Joe, we tried putting QR codes on window stickers for 6 months, but we had a low scan rate. It was hard to scan every time through glass. We moved them to the outside in February and our scan rate went up over 500%. Trust me, if you are going to put the effort into this, you will want to make sure that consumers/salespeople can scan the code with ease and not have to worry about tint, glare, rain, snow, etc.
James
ClickMotive
[email protected]
Joe, we tried putting QR codes on window stickers for 6 months, but we had a low scan rate. It was hard to scan every time through glass. We moved them to the outside in February and our scan rate went up over 500%. Trust me, if you are going to put the effort into this, you will want to make sure that consumers/salespeople can scan the code with ease and not have to worry about tint, glare, rain, snow, etc.
James
ClickMotive
[email protected]
I have always said text messaging is for the masses. It may not be cool or flashy... but you know, even my father and mother can text.
I agree, Mobile advertising via SMS is more effective then QR codes, as they are only for smart phones, however any phone has text messaging option. SMS has been around long enough to finally mix it up in marketing. Mobile marketing for automotive industry is giving information to the buyers like QR codes only it can also create interaction between the buyer and seller + generates leads. We are not ready for QR codes yet. Dealerships should start building their mobile identity with text messaging marketing as it is here to stay!
I agree, Mobile advertising via SMS is more effective then QR codes, as they are only for smart phones, however any phone has text messaging option. SMS has been around long enough to finally mix it up in marketing. Mobile marketing for automotive industry is giving information to the buyers like QR codes only it can also create interaction between the buyer and seller + generates leads. We are not ready for QR codes yet. Dealerships should start building their mobile identity with text messaging marketing as it is here to stay!
Last edited by a moderator:
So I figured I'd share the results of a little experiment I've been running over the past week and a half.
Using a YOURLS installation with a QR code plugin, I started inserting QR codes on our Craigslist listings (example: 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2LT - Silver, Leather, Sunroof, GM CPO, 52k). The code goes to the VDP on our website (or rather, for virtually anything that scans QR codes, our mobile site). I figured it was a good way to try out QR codes in our market with no cost or pesky printing issues.
We started this on May 9, and I've been posting them as I normally would. While the actual scans of the codes have been slow (I can count them on my fingers), an interesting phenomenon has shown up on our eBiz control panel: our mobile traffic has jumped from 5.375 visits per day beforehand to 19.556 afterward.
Even though our traffic usually warms up a bit during the later part of the month, seeing it jump that much that quickly (two visits on the 8th, 14 on the 9th) makes me suspect the presence of the QR code and scanning instructions acts as encouragement for Craigslist users on their phones to proceed on to the website. If nothing else, it's enough to make me want to continue trying this.
Using a YOURLS installation with a QR code plugin, I started inserting QR codes on our Craigslist listings (example: 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2LT - Silver, Leather, Sunroof, GM CPO, 52k). The code goes to the VDP on our website (or rather, for virtually anything that scans QR codes, our mobile site). I figured it was a good way to try out QR codes in our market with no cost or pesky printing issues.
We started this on May 9, and I've been posting them as I normally would. While the actual scans of the codes have been slow (I can count them on my fingers), an interesting phenomenon has shown up on our eBiz control panel: our mobile traffic has jumped from 5.375 visits per day beforehand to 19.556 afterward.
Even though our traffic usually warms up a bit during the later part of the month, seeing it jump that much that quickly (two visits on the 8th, 14 on the 9th) makes me suspect the presence of the QR code and scanning instructions acts as encouragement for Craigslist users on their phones to proceed on to the website. If nothing else, it's enough to make me want to continue trying this.
Interesting test. Our results over the last 16 months have shown the same trend. People do not want to scan QR Codes on a computer screen. But the lift in mobile visits is interesting.
Stupid Question, why use YOURLS?
You should start to print some off and put them on your cars. This is where we have seen the greatest increases.
James
Stupid Question, why use YOURLS?
You should start to print some off and put them on your cars. This is where we have seen the greatest increases.
James
It was more of a shot in the dark than anything--since so many people browse Craigslist at work, I reckoned a save-it-for-later-the-boss-is-coming method might be beneficial. Doesn't exactly seem to be playing out that way...but it didn't cost us anything to try. YOURLS is free, and we already had hosting for our Wordpress sites. (GoDaddy even does the one-click installation on it like they do Wordpress.)
At first, I picked YOURLS because I didn't have a better in-house way of generating QR codes. When I realized that the plugin was just using Google's chart API, I guess I could've dumped it...but the short URLs it generates permits me to see how many people are explicitly scanning the code. (We're on to fingers and toes now, though I suspect mentioning this to DR might've skewed the result.)
I'm examining ways we can integrate this into our processes. If someone's got a lead on a good setup for printing outside-the-car stickers of this scale, I'm all ears.
- Apr 7, 2009
- 4,622
- 2,112
- Awards
- 10
- First Name
- Joe
Billfred,
"The Boss is coming" reminded me of a funny button I saw years ago on LastMinute.com. I looked for it and it's still there. Here it is: The Boss Coming. hahaha... love it. Add that to your CL ads and use bit.ly to track the CTR.
QR are certainly in, however QR are limited to those who have smart phones and higher tech people, If you had such a great conversion with QR just imaging how much better it can be adding text SMS numbers to your adds. Everyone can text now and it is available on any phone now days. It is more appealing to see text 2222 to 73363 then a phone number + SMS can get more interactive and entertaining. You can text from anywhere- no need to be near the code. By the way putting the text number on cars can get a great response. Text message is here and it here to stay as it provides more personal and almost intimate way to communicate.
[email protected]
[email protected]
- May 1, 2005
- 4,501
- 1,788
- Awards
- 12
- First Name
- Jeff
Julias, of course text marketing is " that much better". You have an agenda being a provider of the the service. Im in the middle rolling out text marketing for the 2nd time in the last 3 years in the automotive industry. Believe me I not only want to believe it works for our industry but I'm taking measures to really get the message out there for our text campaigns. Text this to this, send to mobile all over the websites, pop, billboards, tv, overlays...anywhere we can get the message. And even with all this - the return in people signing up is extremely disappointing thus far. Im not going to give up, because I want it to work for some reason. I want it to be successful. The just is still out and I'll be sure to update you as I progress forward with this. Maybe I should start a new thread for this.
- Apr 10, 2009
- 334
- 10
- First Name
- Matt
Jeff I think you are right. The usage of text and QR codes both is overall pretty low. Kevin Frye from the Wyler group has also talked a lot about his trials and tribulations of using texting and getting very poor results.
Texting gives you the advantage of getting the customer's cell phone number. But the customers are smart and know that and may be deterred because of it. QR codes are more anonymous. So perhaps using both is the best option.
Texting gives you the advantage of getting the customer's cell phone number. But the customers are smart and know that and may be deterred because of it. QR codes are more anonymous. So perhaps using both is the best option.
