While the industry consensus seems to be that QR Codes are at a tipping point, as more and more brands adopt them and consumers become increasingly familiar with the technology, we here at Mobile Marketing thought wed put the perceived wisdom to the test.

Using Toluna Quick Survey, we conducted some primary research of our own, asking 2,000 consumers in the UK and US what they thought, and it appears the jurys still out. While a respectable 49.6 per cent of respondents were familiar with QR codes, 50.4 per cent – a slim majority – had no idea what they were.

And of those who were familiar with the codes, not many had ever actually used one. 22.7 per cent of respondents in the UK, and 21 per cent in the US, said they had scanned a QR code.

34.5 per cent in the UK, and only 28.9 per cent in the US, had phones that, as far as they knew, were able to scan the 2D barcodes. In fact, in the US, only 38.7 per cent of respondents had a smartphone. The devices were much more common in the UK, with 48.6 per cent saying they owned a smartphone. 

At 33 per cent, the most common use of QR codes was to compare the prices of a product, while using codes as a link to a site took second place with 21.1 per cent.