QR Campaigns: A Surprising Success Story

More people are wondering these days: Do QR codes really increase response rates?

Insqribe, a company that provides a real-time QR analytics platform, recently published a success story. One of its clients, Letterbox Deals, used QR codes to launch their first print catalog in Sydney, Australia. The objective was to build awareness and promote the brand through a direct mail sweepstakes that gave away Dell notebook computers. Recipients could enter the contest either by logging directly onto the Letterbox Deals website or by using a QR code found in the mailing.

The results were quite interesting:

• Fully 25% of entries were submitted via QR code to mobile site
• 60% of QR code respondents downloaded a code reader to enter the competition
• A 25%  of the QR code scans occurred within people’s homes

One of the perceived barriers to wider QR code use has been that not every mobile phone comes pre-installed with a reader. Yet with proper motivation (in this case, a chance to win something), nearly two-thirds of those who used the QR code downloaded a reader to do so. This suggests that not having a reader pre-installed on the user’s cell phone is not necessarily an obstacle — if the incentive is right. Admittedly, not every campaign gives away free PCs, but there are many other offers that would also work.

Also interesting is that, according to Insqribe’s data, one-fourth of the entries came from people scanning the QR codes at home. Most respondents could have entered through a home computer, but they chose to use the QR codes with their mobile phones instead. Was it out of convenience, coolness, or some other factor? Whatever the reason, the campaign was a success.

So again we ask: Do QR codes work? For the right campaigns and the right markets, you bet!

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