Beer drinkers split on QR codes
The results of yesterday’s poll around QR codes are, at best, trending toward ‘inconclusive.’
54% of those who voted said they don’t bother with QR codes on beer bottles, cans or carriers. 46% said they do or would scan a code if they saw one.
Of those that do use QR codes, it was split down the middle between scanning the QR in the store or at home. Do breweries create content that will compel a drinker to buy in the store or give the drinker an additional experience around the beer once they’ve already purchased it? The results say that it is best to do both, apparently.
Here’s a question I posed on Twitter earlier this week. Why are breweries skipping over the simple addition of adding website, Facebook & Twitter URLs on their packaging in favor of a technology that still has many questions still surrounding it?
I think the value depends on what type of content that QR code is going to send me to. Sending me to a company website is a little redundant, I cant get there on my own in probably just as many key strokes.
Sending me to some type of exclusive content, or media that is relevant to the product. That’s value, and if I know that a particular brewery uses QR codes well, then I’ll be more likely to use them on their products.
Also, QR codes are a fad right now. Most companies (and this isn’t specific to beer) don’t know how to use they appropriately. Unfortunately, this then affects whether consumers view them as useful…
Because nearly every single QR code I’ve ever scanned takes me right to the company website, the only QR’s I will scan are guerrilla stand-alone QR’s where I have no idea what it’s for. If you put one on the side of the 6-pack, I’m going to assume (probably correctly) that it’s a direct link to your website.
Great post. I think QR codes have real potential and I agree with Trevor that QR codes might be a temporary technology and I think he’s also right in saying that the marketing opportunities they provide, when used appropriately, can definitely lend to the beer drinking experience. Adam makes a good point when he suggests that there is possibly greater marketing potential by promoting a brand’s social presence on packaging, which I always like seeing. The best QR codes I’ve used have taken me to product-specific content like videos or specialty web pages. The options for creative content in the craft beer industry are pretty wide open, so I hope to see more of them.
I think they are missing a huge market here. I have a marketing background and if I saw a survey that said 46% of the people will take a certain action I would jump all over it. There is a huge potential here for customer interaction.
Of course the codes must be made right and produce some type of engagement instead of a standard website.
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