Back to the Future: The Comeback of QR Codes
2020 is the year of QR codes.
Just when we thought that these matrix barcodes became fossils of modern technology, here they are, back at it again.
All it took was, well, a global pandemic.
For those of you who are not too familiar with their origins, the first QR code originated in Japan, back in 1994, and was developed by a company named Denso Wave, Toyota’s subsidiary, which was in charge of producing automatic identification products, programmable controllers and industrial robots. 26 years ago, the main purpose of QR codes was to serve as help in Toyota’s manufacturing process, and they did a pretty good job of tracking vehicles and different parts. It generalized enhanced fast decoding, thus getting the name Quick Response (QR) codes, and so becoming barcodes’ successors.
What was different about them is that they were two-dimensional, which meant that more information could be stored within the code. For example, with a single line of barcode, you can read the product number and its location, whilst QR codes can tell you all that together with the date of the product’s creation, its condition, if it had any repairs in the meantime, etc. With this huge advantage over them, QR codes completely improved storage capacity and the company’s performance in general by bringing more accuracy and efficiency to the table, as well as a better understanding of the inventory.
Although they were an ace in the sleeve, there was a setback in their utilization for the majority of companies, mostly because of the cost of the scanners needed for their successful usage. QR code scanners were more expensive than the regular barcode scanners because they had to cover a larger area of code. This changed with the arrival of mobile warehouse management software, which requested only a smartphone or a tablet with a camera to do the necessary work.
It was the time when QR codes blossomed, and their true potential was bursting…
Until they became a joke.
There were a few situations that brought some sort of an embarrassment of QR codes in people’s eyes. I cannot tell you the exact moment when they became a gag, but I have a couple of examples which probably influenced it, such as the time when some German guy scanned Heinz’s QR code at the back of the ketchup bottle, which took him directly to the porno website, or when Gillette ran a campaign featuring Kate Upton, an American model, inducing men around the world to shave everywhere… I almost forgot the cornfield shaped in the biggest QR code in the world… And the headstones…
These “situations” were followed by a few years of no major QR code consumption until we all had to greet an unwanted guest in our lives.
2020’s global pandemic changed our functionality for the worse and pretty much complicated our entire system. Simply said, a disastrous year with even more disastrous measures and outcomes. There were silver linings for some — drive-in movies started making their comeback, fitness gear manufacturers stepped up their production game, local grocers noticed a big increase in demand, DIY home improvement industry having record sales this year since people had to find ways to fill in their quarantine time somehow…
What we quickly realized is that we needed QR codes back in our lives in order to function as we used to, but at the same time, follow the measures which were developed with the coronavirus outbreak. We needed them so much that their revival was of paramount importance for all of us.
The New Value of QR Codes
The main mission was to provide a touch-free experience when coronavirus affected the market. Big and small companies had to find solutions that were already proven effective due to the lack of time for crafting and adjusting to the new technologies.
It was time for QR codes to get the spotlight back.
China was the one responsible for their resurgence. Tencent, one of its largest tech companies, developed the Alipay Health Code, which came as a great help to repress the virus. By using QR codes and big data, this app assisted in separating high-risk people from low-risk people by letting users know if they had been close to infected people and sites which coronavirus had already reached.
QR codes then got more recognition thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with their instructions suggesting using contactless options whenever people possibly can. This quickly paved the way for QR code across different industries, and here are some of the exceptional examples:
- Pour by Phone: Coca Cola Freestyle
Customers craving some of Coca Cola’s beverages are now able to choose whatever they want by simply holding their camera up to the fountain’s display, which will auto-scan a QR code and connect it to the cloud, therefore supplying the customer with the machine’s interface directly to their mobile screen (Link to the video)
2. Restaurant Menus
Many restaurants around the world allowed customers to download their menus by scanning QR codes with their smartphones or tablets.
3. PayPal Touch-Free Payments
Another brilliant idea. In the world where paying in cash is considered a huge risk at this moment, and debit and credit cards can still carry the virus, PayPal thought of an amazing way of payment — and it’s completely touch-free. All you need to do to finish your payment is to scan a seller’s QR code with PayPal’s app, and you’re good to go! Safe and simple.
Not only did they save so many industries, but they also stopped spreading the virus in the country where it emerged. Who would have thought that these little black and white patterns would be so essential to us during these chaotic times we all have to go through. Once completely forgotten, they are now back in full swing. A bit ironic, don’t you think? Even if it took a global pandemic for us to realize their potential, QR codes finally got their moment, and this time — I hope they’re here to stay.
Tatjana Lukic, Project Assistant at Bridgewater Labs
