QR Codes or Quick Response codes have become increasingly popular since the pandemic. As per a report by Gartner, 80% of the order, checkout, and payment services will become contactless by 2024. In this article, I will cover briefly about how QR codes work, types of QR codes and how certain re-direct types can help gather more data-points for your QR code campaigns. In the examples shown below, I will refer to Openscreen as they offer a comprehensive QR code SDK.
How do QR Codes Work?
QR codes work by encapsulating human readable data into a unique pattern. These QR codes are printable and help to digitize the real world. There are broadly two types of QR Codes:
Static QR Codes
These are the most basic QR codes which simply direct the user to the destination or intent. For the purpose of smart interactions, static QR codes should not be used. They should only really be used in workflows involving a 'non-smart' scanner expecting a plain text output, example a UPC.
Dynamic QR Codes
Dynamic QR Codes direct user to the intent using a two-step redirect. Upon scan, the QR code first directs to a cloud server which captures scan data from the scanning device including location, IP address, device kind, device model and much more. An example of Openscreen's scan object can be seen below
Additionally, dynamic QR codes can be tracked, updated, and modified over their lifecycle. They can redirect a user to a different location based on the status of a QR Code, who the scanner is, and much more. You can now guess the opportunity that static QR codes miss! Sadly, a vast majority of QR codes in North America are static.
Types of Dynamic Redirects
Each scan from Openscreen's Dynamic QR codes is identified by a unique scanId. Often this scanId is the 'main player' for any QR code related workflows. Openscreen offers the following redirect types which help identify information regarding the QR codes:
SCAN_ID_IN_PATHPARAMETER: The user is redirected to the QR Code intent and a Scan Object is captured. The Scan ID will be added to the URL as a path parameter. This means that when a user scans the QR Code, the scanId will be appended to the intent (URL) that the scanner is directed to upon scan. For example, if the intent of the web application that you created has the URL 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com'. The user will be taken to a final destination of 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com/scanId'. Example: 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com/c262c53e-3ec0-4f48-823e-de5539dd85dc'. Choosing this QR Code parameter will allow your application to understand which QR Code was scanned when taking the user to your web application.
SCAN_ID_IN_QUERY_STRING_PARAMETER: In this case, the scanId will be added to the URL as a query string parameter. For example, if the intent of the web application that you created has the URL 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com'. The user will be taken to a final destination of 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com/?scanId'. Example: 'https://www.myrealestatelisting.com/?c262c53e-3ec0-4f48-823e-de5539dd85dc'. Choosing this QR Code parameter will allow your application to understand which QR Code was scanned when taking the user to your web application.
NO_SCAN_ID: This is the default value where the user is redirected to the QR Code intent and a Scan Object is generated. The scanId is not used in this redirect.
Conclusion
Knowing which QR Code was scanned will allow you to create asset & contact relationships, dynamically update your QR Code, and much more. It is especially applicable for QR code enabled ad-campaigns, real-estate listings and direct mail.
Do these re-direct types help your QR code workflow? Share in the comments below!
Read more: How to integrate with a CRM tool in your QR Code campaign
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