QR Codes Will be in Trend in 2024 and Beyond

The journey of QR codes is interesting. After booming in the early to mid-2010s, they went into a hiatus for some years. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for technology as revolutionary as QR codes back then. 

Then came COVID-19, and QR codes took off. From payments to marketing to information sharing, QR codes became the go-to tool for business-consumer communication. 

Over the past two years, QR codes have been one of the biggest trends in marketing and customer engagement. 

But will QR codes continue to be in trend in 2024?

Keep reading to get the answer. 

How are QR codes revolutionizing marketing?

Of the many changes instigated by the pandemic, a change in marketing was one of the most prominent. 

Before COVID-19, marketing channels were largely operating in silos. Some brands focused solely on traditional advertising, while others were digital-focused. Some marketers used both, but the online and offline channels operated separately without unification. 

A significant change brought about by the pandemic is the integration of offline and online media — also known as omnichannel. In fact, purchase frequency and customer retention rates increase by 250% and 90%, respectively, for omnichannel brands. 

QR codes allow brands to bridge the gap between offline and online channels and provide an omnichannel experience to users. 

Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose you’re a retail brand selling through an offline store and an eCommerce website. You can create a QR code for your website and put it up in your retail store. As a result, shoppers can enjoy an interconnected experience regardless of the channel. 

The applications of QR codes aren’t limited to this.  

What’s driving the adoption of QR codes?

To answer this question, we first need to understand the factors driving the adoption of QR codes. These are:

• Smartphone adoption: The number of smartphone users is rising rapidly. Over 6.5 billion people — 83% of the global population — own a smartphone. Since QR codes are a smartphone-centric technology, the increasing adoption of smartphones has contributed to the rising use of QR codes. 
• Need for omnichannel: Customers love omnichannel experiences, and rightly so. It’s more convenient, as consumers can engage with the brand and shop seamlessly regardless of the channel. Since QR codes enable you to go omnichannel, their usage is increasing rapidly. 
• Shrinking attention span: The average human attention span is only 8 seconds, and it continues to decrease in this attention economy. QR codes enable brands to offer instant gratification, resulting in higher customer engagement. 
• Need to stand out: With over 500,000 brands out there, standing out from the crowd is vital. With QR codes, you can bring your brand a unique identity and stand out from the crowd. 

Will QR codes be trendy in 2024?

Let’s come to the question of the hour now. Will QR codes continue to trend in 2024 and beyond?

Again, to understand this, we need to clearly understand what’s driving the adoption of QR codes in the first place. 

The first factor we discussed above is smartphone adoption. Is smartphone adoption going to slow down anytime soon? 

There is no chance of that. The total number of smartphone users is set to reach 7.33 billion by 2025. As smartphone adoption increases, the use of QR codes will naturally increase. 

The next factor was the need for omnichannel, which will also undoubtedly increase. Customer expectations are rising rapidly, and omnichannel is the best way to meet them. Since brands will continue to put in the effort to go omnichannel, the demand and usage of QR codes will continue to rise. 

Moving further, we have a shrinking attention span. And there’s no way our attention span will increase in the future. Internet speeds are increasing, computers and smartphones are getting faster, and entertainment is becoming fast-paced. Since people will be more aligned towards instant gratification in the coming years, QR codes will continue to remain in trend. 

Finally, there’s the need to stand out. As the years pass, more brands will enter the space, making the marketing landscape more fierce and competitive. The need to stand out will be greater than ever, encouraging brands to use QR codes and other revolutionary technologies. 

So, to answer your question, QR codes will remain in trend in 2024 and beyond. 

How to capitalize upon QR codes in 2024?

We know that QR codes will be in trend in 2023. But how can you leverage the true potential of QR codes for your brand? 

Here’s how to capitalize upon QR codes and take your marketing to the next level. 

Bring targeted website traffic that converts

Your website can be your biggest business asset regardless of your product, service, or business model. It can help you generate qualified leads that convert into high-paying customers. 

But, like many websites, your website might also be getting a lot of irrelevant traffic. 

More visitors but fewer conversions. 

QR codes can help you overcome this hurdle by getting highly relevant traffic that converts. 

You can create a QR code for your website and share it with your users. Only those users who want to engage with your brand will scan the QR code. Hence, you’ll get relevant traffic only. 

Upgrade your networking with digital business cards

Customer-facing professionals like sales executives, marketing representatives, insurance agents, and realtors need to hand out business cards all the time. But standard paper cards are outdated, and most of them are thrown away within a week. 

Why not take your networking to the next level with a digital business card? 

A digital business card is a web page containing all your professional details. You can create a QR code for your digital business and print it on your physical business card.

The next time you hand over your business card, the connections can scan the QR code to obtain the contact details seamlessly. 

Offer remarkable AR and gamification experiences

The augmented reality (AR) market is set to hit $461 billion by 2030. It offers massive potential to brands and marketers to provide immersive customer experiences and generate irreversible loyalty. 

QR codes are an excellent tool for sharing AR experiences. You can create an AR QR code to enable users to enjoy AR experiences on their smartphones. 

Similarly, you can also use QR codes to offer gamification experiences, like quizzes, scratch & win, surveys, and many more. 

Increase app downloads

With people spending over three hours daily on their smartphones, mobile apps are an excellent customer engagement tool. 

You can use QR codes to promote your app and increase downloads. Our App Download QR code solution lets you share the download links to your Play Store and App Store versions in one place. 

Final thoughts

2024 is almost here, and new marketing trends are expected to emerge in the upcoming year. However, QR codes are a marketing trend that has been running strong over the last couple of years, and we can expect a similar trend in 2024 too. 

The use cases of QR codes continue to rise, and factors like increasing smartphone adoption and the need for omnichannel experiences will contribute to their adoption. 

So, it’s safe to say that QR codes will be trendy in 2024 and the years to come. 

Want to create and manage QR codes like a pro? Get started with QRCodeChimp. 

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