I attended a conference a couple decades ago on Quick Response or QR Codes. The speaker shared how they were being used in Japan in point-of-purchase displays, billboards, emails, print ads, etc. We were provided with examples of how Japan was leading in the digital innovation, and that we should be ready for QR codes to gain traction in America. So I experimented with them in a variety of applications, but they failed to truly take off. Until recently.
Yes, QR codes have roots back to original bar code technology, but most agree that the invention year was 1994 when Toyota wanted a new barcode system in its assembly line and Masahiro Hara from Denso Wave developed the QR Code. The codes grew quickly in pharmaceutical practices, retail industries, marketing, social media and security.
Growth came in in 2002 when use of QR Codes became widespread in Japan, pushed by the mobile phones with QR Code-reading features. Years later, use skyrocketed in America when mobile phones were able to scan using the basic camera app installed on mobile phones rather than third-party software that had to be downloaded.
Then along came COVID-19. When restaurant owners feared having printed menus available on tables, they started requiring the use of QR codes to order drinks and food from. As a result, many of us became much more comfortable with the process. Yes, even us Iowans. Tie it to food, and we figure it out. |
