More than 3m UK consumers used their smartphone to scan QR codes in Q2, according to new data from a comScore survey of 15,000 consumers.
This equates to 11.4% of the total smartphone audience and represents a year-on-year growth of 43%.
But the data suggests that other European nations have actually been quicker on the uptake than the UK. For example, 18.6% of German smartphone owners scanned a QR code in Q2, a YoY growth of 128%.
While in Spain 16% of users have used the technology, up a massive 218% from the same period last year.
The study claims that across the EU5 more than 17m smartphone owners have scanned a QR code.
QR codes are now common in outdoor marketing campaigns and in magazines, so it seems likely that 1 in 10 UK smartphone owners has scanned one of the codes.
However, in an online survey carried out with TolunaQuick in October 2011 we found that 19% of all UK consumers had scanned a QR code. You need to take into account that those completing an online survey are likely to be tech-savvy, but it’s still surprising that comScore’s total is so much lower a year later.
To add further fuel to the debate, a recent CBS Outdoor study found that 13% of all Europeans - including those without smartphones - had scanned an outdoor QR code.
When you narrow this down to just smartphone owners, which across the EU5 is 51.3% of the population (according to comScore), then you would expect the number who had scanned a QR code to at least double to 26%.
This makes it difficult to put an exact figure on how many smartphone owners have scanned a QR code, other than to say it is likely to be between 10% and 25%.
Use of QR codes
ComScore also looked at the most popular reasons for scanning QR codes. It found that 71.7% of scans are carried out to retrieve product information, while the second most popular reason is to access event information (31.8%).
Reader comments (24)
12:02PM on 20th September 2012
Let's be honest, if the report doesn't even include the sample size it's not a proper report, and has probably been commissioned by one of the many companies still desperate to try and make QR codes appear relevant.
Head of Optimisation at Blue Latitude
12:15PM on 20th September 2012
I'm not sure you can dismiss the findings because the sample size is small. All of ComScores sample sizes are small, but they're extrapolated upwards based on audience demographics in the same way that television audiences are calculated. As long as they are consistent in their measurement then you can pay attention to the trends rather than the raw numbers (can you tell I'm an Analytics man?).
I refuse to believe, however, that only 30% of people have listened to music on a smartphone in the UK. Anyone who has been on any sort of public transport must have heard the tinny sound of some teenagers smart phone playing through the awful built-in speaker or played too loudly through headphones.
3:06PM on 20th September 2012
For those who claim the QR Code is passé this post should should help shed some light in the issue.
There are still two major obstacles standing on the way of QR Code technology going mainstream.
1. Companies MUST stop misusing them. Sending people to sites that are not mobile enabled or to pointless destinations hurts the QR Codes reputation but causes more damage to the companies who waste users time.
2. QR Codes must get with the times and be designed to interact with humans. No one likes to interact with something that looks like it jumped off a space invaders screen from 1980.
QR Codes were originally designed to talk to machines, it's time to design them to talk to people.
The Visualead team.
Senior reporter at Econsultancy
3:41PM on 20th September 2012
@Mark and Alec, comScore got in touch to say the sample size was 15,000 people, which is obviously very robust.
@Alec, where did the stat about 30% of people listening to music on their smartphone come from?
Global eTrade Marketing Manager at Philips
4:05PM on 20th September 2012
Are you aware that the QR code placed below the heading of this article goes to a 'Page Not Found' error page?
Senior reporter at Econsultancy
4:18PM on 20th September 2012
@Jamil, I am. It is just an old QR code image that I happened to have saved on my desktop.
Global eTrade Marketing Manager at Philips
4:19PM on 20th September 2012
:)
Head of Optimisation at Blue Latitude
4:36PM on 20th September 2012
@ David - in the table above on mobile benchmark data for the European Market the bottom line is 'listening to music'. If only 58.8% of people have smartphones then 30.6% is half of those people (you don't really get music on non-smartphones). Even so I'm quite surprised that people buy expensive phones with huge memories that were designed to store music originally (then video later) and then don't use that functionality.
You only have to look as far as the first iPhone - it was designed so that people didn't have to carry an iPod and a phone at the same time.
Editor at Econsultancy
4:40PM on 20th September 2012
@Jamil @David I've replaced it with a better one...
Senior reporter at Econsultancy
4:40PM on 20th September 2012
@Alec, whoops, totally missed that line on the chart ;)
Editor at Econsultancy
4:42PM on 20th September 2012
@Alec That is a surprising figure. One of the things that made me buy the iPhone in the first place was the iPod.
Editor at Econsultancy
4:46PM on 20th September 2012
@Visualead I agree - the misuse of QR must have harmed adoption.
Here are some examples: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8669-11-dubious-uses-of-qr-codes
I do think they may have a use as an in-store prompt to view reviews, offers and product details as multichannel retailers like Debenhams, M&S and House of Fraser have released apps with barcode/QR scanners AND use QR in stores.
4:14AM on 21st September 2012
One of the key issues with QR codes is usability, there have been a number of times when I've spent longer trying to scan a code than it would have taken to type the URL in. I've also seen them used with bad judgement such as underground on tube platforms where a mobile signal was non existent?!
QR codes are viewed by many as a way to access online content but if we focus on using them as a different channel and then consider the audience that are likely to use them like we would any other channel we may see considerably better results. Simple put target the right audience with the right medium.
Global eTrade Marketing Manager at Philips
8:49AM on 21st September 2012
@Graham - Quality goal!!
9:10AM on 21st September 2012
@visualead - I completely agree with the design issue with QR Codes. I have researched the so called artistic QR codes and tbh they are not much better.
However, if it looked amazing, would that really make much difference? I think the first point you made is so much more of an issue. The biggest problem with QR codes is that you never really know where it is going to take you.
9:10AM on 21st September 2012
It's not how many people have accessed info via QR codes that's important, but a) how many are using QR codes on a frequent basis and b) what people have done with information/offers they've obtained via QR codes, eg has downloading a coupon actually led to a purchase? Without that information, the stats are rather meaningless.
Only if QR codes are influencing behaviours will they have a future.
Editor at Econsultancy
10:02AM on 21st September 2012
@Aberfield There are some examples of QR campaigns with stats here: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9777-six-qr-code-campaigns-that-actually-worked
Digital Marketing Executive at NewcastleGateshead Initiative
12:40PM on 21st September 2012
One thing you need to take note of is that the study is looking at how many people 'have scanned A QR code' It doesn't look at frequency, the people who have may have only done it once, but typed a URL into their smartphone 1000 times.
I wonder how many people have just tried it out to give it a go and not actually regularly used it. It is like saying 50% of people ‘use myspace’ when it should be 50% ‘have used myspace at least once in the past 5 years’
We’ve used QR codes on material that lends itself to them (i.e. not just because it’s the next big thing) but there is always low usage numbers. Perhaps good 4G coverage across the UK would make the experience less clunky
9:44AM on 25th September 2012
Another cool way to engage customers is using Visual QR Codes with a service such as www.visualead.com. It lets you turn any image into a QR Code making your point of contact for offline to online engagement more communicative and effective, leading to higher CTR
Head of Digital Production at Cheil Europe
11:04AM on 27th September 2012
Hi, thanks for the post @David Has anyone seen UK specific demographic data on QR code usage? Can't find it anywhere.
7:29PM on 1st October 2012
For busy brand managers or digital strategists, is it yet time to make QR a core part of any digital strategy or how long does it remain an interesting add-on versus other and the next new technology ? The longer it languishes, the more likely it is to be overtaken.
Director at SapientNitro
1:04PM on 10th October 2012
I'm pretty sure that in the UK, smartphones still do not have scanning software pre-loaded to them straight out of the box. This obviously represents a big stumbling block for adoption of QR codes.
Has anyone seen any data around pre-loaded software vs vols downloading scanning apps?
4:02PM on 10th October 2012
@magnus: Blackberry have a preloaded QR reader since 2008, initially under BBM but since 2010 (BBM 4.4 onwards)under the BB "App World" -> BB Menu -> Scan a Barcode. Apple cut the pre-installed QR reader on iphone 5 when they brought the release date forward.
Agree it would be better if they all just pre-loaded one!
Director at SapientNitro
11:04AM on 11th October 2012
@Mike: Thanks for the info, good to know. iP5 seems to have quite a bit cut i.e. NFC.
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