Retail Products and QR Codes
Posted on by Timothy Boyle
Almost every product you find in a store, whether it be food from a grocery store, a TV from Best Buy, or apparel from a local retailer, they can almost all benefit from QR code use. Now the ways in which each product can benefit from using QR codes varies, for example a food item might have a QR code to give the consumer interesting recipe options or beverage pairings, or direct someone towards another product from the same company; meanwhile the company selling the TV may benefit from a QR code buy letting the consumer see more detailed specs, learning about special features (in case a customer service rep isn’t there), learning about other accessories that may be beneficial or letting them compare prices to competitors. The point is that companies are failing to take advantage of this technology to either provide additional value to their customers, or help drive sales. For evidence of how almost any item can benefit from QR code use, see below.
So there I was passing through the middle of nowhere Vermont (and really is there any place in Vermont that doesn’t fit that description?), and I stopped in at a local ski and snowboard shop to have a look around. And wouldn’t you know it, I stumbled upon a QR code, as I often do. What I found interesting about this QR code is that it was on a tag of such a mundane product: a winter hat.
Now not every QR code needs to be terribly exciting upon scanning, but it needs to provide some sort of additional value in the least, and I figure if something as boring as a hat can find a way to use QR codes in a useful way, then any company producing almost any product can as well.
As you can see from below, the tag for the hat contains a QR code. The code is nice and big, taking up a good portion of the tag, and has good density for easy scanning; Arc’teryx (the hat maker) has clearly started to read our best practices page—though they must have stopped right before the part about having a call to action. Despite the lack of a call to action, it stands out enough that a potential consumer may be enticed to scan the code. Once scanned, you are taken to a page with a photo of the hat, a description, the hat’s particular features, and the materials the hat is made out of. You also have the choice of being redirected to the Arc’teryx main website where you can see other styles and even make online orders. 
So you see, the QR code provides additional value to the interested consumer, and potentially even drives further online sales, all from a QR code on a simple winter hat. If you are an advertiser or marketer for any product out there today and you can’t think of a way to use QR codes, well you might want to find another line of business.
