To put it simply, QR codes have always been sort of like 3D films. At first they were exciting and no one had ever seen anything like them. They were the epitome of what recent technology could do for advertising. Then, like 3D films, the excitement decreased significantly, and we barely heard anything about them. Now, though, I am sure you have noticed quite a few 3D movies making their way into the box office, just as QR codes have made a huge comeback, which is clear through the numbers from Q2 of 2012. ScanLife is one of the biggest, if not the true biggest name in QR code technology, and they have released some impressive numbers based on these codes for the second quarter of this year.

Through a well designed infographic, ScanLife reveals that results went up from 24 scans per minute in Q2 of 2011 to 120 scans per minute in Q2 of 2012. They stated that there were 4 million new people using ScanLife to scan QR codes in Q2, however there were a total of 5.3 million scans for the month of June alone. That’s the highest number of scans ever reported for a single month, which shows that QR codes seem to be making a substantial comeback. Especially since, in Q2 of 2011, the most successful QR code campaign brought a little more than 30,000 scans, while the most successful campaign of Q2 this year brought in over 2 million scans. These campaigns were those containing contests, social media content, app download content, or loyalty program information.

ScanLife has also mapped out in their illustration a breakdown of demographics based on age, gender, and operating system. The majority of scans are from male smartphone users at 69%, with females at31%. As is usual, the age groups that ring in the most scans, a combined total of 75%, are all 18-44. As for operating system, Android leads the way with 53% of the scans from Q2, an entire 10% ahead of Apple iOS. Another breakdown that ScanLife conducted was by industry. Leading the way in QR scans is the toy industry, then health and beauty businesses, and in third is the wireless industry. After those are the QSR and beverage industries, which did not do quite as well in the quarter. A final bit of valuable information that was released on the subject was the 60% of all QR code scanners did so right at home.

The best part about QR codes is that they can be used by just about anyone, and now that their success is growing to its highest points, advertising through these codes will become quite popular again. The QR numbers from Q2 also give some more insight into just how important mobile advertising is and will continue to be. With the help of ScanLife’s valuable QR and barcode information, advertisers can now feel confident about looking into code marketing.

Written by Michael Levanduski

Michael Levanduski is a news reporter at Performance Marketing Insider. He’s been a writer at one level or another for the past 15+ years. He has three kids and lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

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