Shopping for dishwashers in-store, even after doing lots of online research. The in-store display tags have very minimal info. Best Buy has/had a QRCode on each product that took you to a webpage for that item with a lot more info, reviews, etc. It was one of the main reasons I actually bought a dishwasher AT Best Buy instead of elsewhere.
1. I've recently been looking for a good way to let a crowded train know that I probably have bedbugs on my clothing.
2. Internet access is really good underground.
They are used all over the place in Japan (where IIRC the QR code's popularity started) for non-sales related information like bus timetables as well as for access to detailed product information in shops. In both these use cases the QR code directing to a web page with up-to-date information is a benefit to the user rather than an advertising gimmick.
QR codes are done wrong in a great many adverts.
I've seen adverts with QR codes where is isn't entirely obvious what is even being advertised: sorry, I'm not wasting my time waiting for your information to come down what could be a slow mobile connection unless there is a good chance I'm going to care. You advert should make me want more detail, not expect me to make an effort to get basic detail.
The two times I bothered scan a QR code on an advert were failures from the advertisers PoV. One went to a page that was simply not useable on a small mobile device (remember: there are plenty of phones out there with QVGA screens and that site was unusable at half VGA) and would have taken an age to download if the user was stuck on a GPRS link due to lack of 3G+ reception. I closed the browser and thought nothing more of it. The other time I was taken to a registration page where I was asked for some of my details in order to get the data - if I scan a QR code I expect to go direct to relevant information, not to be asked for my personal details (I could have oput in fake details easily, but I should not have to go to even that effort). If you must have a registration form on the page, put it below the detail the user is expecting to find.
Surely having the specifications printed out and mounted in an emplacement next to the product is better than having to scan/touch/type some sort of digital tag.
If it is about paper use, how about they stop using flip books full of paper numbers set next to each other to display prices before worrying about replacing some measly product spec sheets with QR codes.
(EDIT: reviews are definitely a fair use of this sort of thing, and I had forgotten that they were a thing while replying.)
http://bestbuy.com/12345 on the label.
I still think they are overused, but they can offer a little extra connivence, as long as they aren't taking up too much space.
QR Codes are nice macros, in the right places. They don't necessarily belong on every uncovered surface, but in many cases they can transfer a relatively large amount of data quickly and easily.
I think we're still figuring out QR Codes and the proper applications of them. I remember usenet discussions in 1996 asking "Why did Ford put a URL in their commercial? Why do I need/want that? What do I do with it?"...
But I realized something about QR codes. Though they can contain any text, the vast majority of the time they're URLs. But they're not just base URLs. They contain query variables that people couldn't be bothered to type in, but which let the advertiser know which exact code (or which print run at least) was scanned.
2. NFC tags won't be as efficient if you are tagging individual devices (e.g. all inventory on a store shelf), but for tagging stationary things (e.g. the appliance displays at Best Buy) they will work better, even if they cost a bit more.
URL: Turn on phone, swipe right to unlock, press search button, type url, press enter.
QR: Turn on phone, swipe up to open QR reader, point phone.
Yes, I'm one of those rare people who not only scans QR codes, but does it enough to bother making it one of the three actions he can take from his lockscreen (Camera, QR, Unlock)