The Time is Right for a More Social Shelf Experience

The pandemic brought about many shifts and disruptions in industries worldwide. And with those shifts came the rally of QR Codes. QR Codes have provided a solution that bridges the gap between a physical and digital experience.

Besides being a mobile-first technology that bridges this gap, during the pandemic, it aided in minimizing contact for safety purposes. Because of this, we’ve seen that QR Codes are also picking up relevance as a very effective marketing tool.

You see them everywhere – on packaging, billboards, business cards, gyms, museums, and restaurant menus. Brands are now also using QR Codes in many ways to connect with consumers. From sharing valuable information, discounts, and music to delivering an engaging AR experience.

Both businesses and consumers are now more aware of the QR’s potential and functionality and are convinced that QR Codes are here to stay for a long time.

Previously, QR Codes were not very popular in the U.S. because smartphones weren’t equipped with native QR scanning capabilities. The updates from Android and iOS have now changed that and continue to expand the possibilities of native QR Code scanning.

Most of the issues that continue to keep consumers from using them revolve around the security risks and accessibility of QR Codes. Due to the many phishing scams and fraud incidents, some people are still wary of scanning QR Codes due to the potential security risks. A secure platform solves this problem. Using features such as custom domain and custom SSL, consumers can trust the QR Code URL due to its custom branding.

Marketing can be one of the most difficult areas of business. This is because it can be hard to see where customers are interacting with ads and if they are effective. My company, A3 Media, has been in development of and perfecting a secure QR marketing platform for our clients called Social Shelf® for nearly a decade. With the new popularity of QR technology, we decided to release it for testing in Q4 of 2021. We have tested it with nearly 500 brands with great success. Due to its success, we are rolling it out to market and many retailers are on-boarding our Social Shelf® marketing platform as it has received very positive feedback from brands and consumers alike.

Quick and easy ways to access information or websites have very rapidly become the norm. With the new resurgence of the QR Code, there may have never been a faster or more convenient way for consumers to get the product information they need and want. When QR Codes are scanned by consumers, they can track the interactions of those who have scanned it and provide information like; where they were when it was scanned, and what the person did when it was scanned. This offers marketing teams a higher level of detail, enabling them to target their ads to a more granular audience that was not possible before.

With the use of QR Codes increasing all the time, there is very little reason to think that they will go away any time soon. They can be a secure and reliable way of gathering better consumer information and tracking that is significantly more accurate than any previous methods.