QR Codes - In or Out?

[ggarvin]

I agree that Augmented Reality will transcend QR Codes but the the majority of the public still don't know what QR Codes are or how to use them... so AR is out there on the horizon somewhere... we will get there eventually. In the meantime, here are some pretty good stats to chew on. This will show you the number of Dealer Specialties customers that use QR codes on their used vehicle inventory and what the average results per dealer are:

	Dealers	Hits Per Month
Apr 2011	157	2.19
May 2011	327	3.42
Jun 2011	524	4.49
Jul 2011	633	7.52
Aug 2011	749	8.23
Sep 2011	835	8.00
Oct 2011	962	8.44
Nov 2011	1,047	12.84
Dec 2011	1,088	10.88
Jan 2012	1,085	10.41
Feb 2012	1,316	13.95
Mar 2012	1,445	16.97
Apr 2012	1,492	16.80
May 2012	1,562	20.70

 

[yagoparamo]

I agree that Augmented Reality will transcend QR Codes but the the majority of the public still don't know what QR Codes are or how to use them... so AR is out there on the horizon somewhere... we will get there eventually. In the meantime, here are some pretty good stats to chew on. This will show you the number of Dealer Specialties customers that use QR codes on their used vehicle inventory and what the average results per dealer are:

	Dealers	Hits Per Month
Apr 2011	157	2.19
May 2011	327	3.42
Jun 2011	524	4.49
Jul 2011	633	7.52
Aug 2011	749	8.23
Sep 2011	835	8.00
Oct 2011	962	8.44
Nov 2011	1,047	12.84
Dec 2011	1,088	10.88
Jan 2012	1,085	10.41
Feb 2012	1,316	13.95
Mar 2012	1,445	16.97
Apr 2012	1,492	16.80
May 2012	1,562	20.70

We are living the time where one technology quickly becomes "old" and it is just the stepping stone for a better version or twist to take over. Look at how long it took for the Super8 to go to VCR/tape to disk to blueray to... Blue ray just arrived and it is becoming extinct by the day with new streaming and speed abilities. Most of the technologies that we have nowadays in the autoindustry will develop quicly into new things specially as more customers are empower with new and powerful mobile devices.

I remember not long ago when I was just doing window labels and photos. Started with a Sony Mavica with a floppy disk! Cobalt did basic websites, they took only one (yes 1) photo in the feed. They also had prospector and a few other things.

Things change fast and will change faster. QR codes are not done, but will.

 

[ggarvin]

Yago, you might be right... likely you are but unlike Super8 or cassettes or blue ray... you don't need to revamp your whole library or exchange a mainframe or operating system. This might be best classified as niche marketing as only some percentage of the population knows and/or uses QR codes. That being said the cost is negligible, so why not participate... what's the downside.

But who explains this better than John Belushi in Animal House: Classic Movie Line #3 - YouTube

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Imedia published this today...

3 brands that failed with QR codes:

http://www.imediaconnection.com/article_full.aspx?id=32038

Some obvious mistakes.

 

[yagoparamo]

Yago, you might be right... likely you are but unlike Super8 or cassettes or blue ray... you don't need to revamp your whole library or exchange a mainframe or operating system. This might be best classified as niche marketing as only some percentage of the population knows and/or uses QR codes. That being said the cost is negligible, so why not participate... what's the downside.

But who explains this better than John Belushi in Animal House: Classic Movie Line #3 - YouTube

100% agree with you. Both your company and mine have offered QR codes for a while with our inventory solutions just because it is so little money (I had to argue this a few times in DR). My point was that a better "QR code" type of technology will be developed. Pretty much a QR code is a "lazy" way to look at something, usually a 2D advertisement object, and be able to pull more interactive data about it. Perhaps in the future our devices will be able to recognize the object itself and bring the information without needed our input.

 

[Brian Marchini]

We are implementing them now. I am making them up ourselves. We have a standard one that links to our site for new cars, one that links to the detail page of a used. We also created some for our sales office that put a vCard on their phone. The latter is a great success. People lose business cards, but they don't losse their phones.

 

[merritt]

My all-time favorite was the QR Code on a website that took you back to the same website!

 

[yagoparamo]

My all-time favorite was the QR Code on a website that took you back to the same website!

That is the best I have seen.

It takes you into an eternal loop until you buy a car.

Is Reynolds Web Solutions next big thing.

 

[Billfred]

My all-time favorite was the QR Code on a website that took you back to the same website!

Is this necessarily a bad thing? It's something we tinkered with on our Craigslist postings (browsing at work, want to take it with you), though we ultimately abandoned it since it wasn't getting quite enough scans to justify the extra legwork.

 

[yagoparamo]

Bill,

To me that has been the best application for qr codes, the fact that a customer can scan it and now have the info in their cell phone versus having to print the ad. We saw great lift on scans when we put them on craigslist.