The Golden Potential of Artistic QR Codes
There's a major opportunity that people are missing.
We’ve recently seen the large amount of artistic QR codes that have come out. Multiple users have been using both Stable Diffusion and Control Net to create these images.
They’re not just beautiful, but they work. Its a far cry from the old dull QR Codes. So why can this be scanned? It's the resilience of QR codes. With a built-in error correction feature, QR codes can have up to 30% artistic alteration and remain scannable.
I saw the rise of QR codes when they first emerged in Asia then spread farther. The rapid adoption has gone from a curiosity in early 2010s to a necessity in the 2020s. QR codes are used to pay in multiple countries. Its not uncommon for even street vendors now to have QR, since it can be more convenient than cash.
Everyone uses them, from paying for taxis in Seoul to paying for drinks at the convenience store in Taipei.
QR codes were an essential part of our strategy for clients when I was a marketing strategist. Everything from the signage to the videos at meet and greet info sessions needed them. From payment for swag to watching a video.
It’s a massive opportunity. The trend opens up vast marketing and app usage. If you do it right. Which I’m going talk about in a bit.
But first a little background case study. Why are they so popular?
The Asian Market has proved the strength of QR Codes
The potential of QR codes best example? East Asia and SE Asia. They are an absolute necessity there.
QR codes originally started out because users in Asia found it troublesome to type out links. Its far easier for the user to scan QR codes than type it out—which lead to its mass adoption. Walk a street in Tokyo, Seoul, or Beijing, and you’ll see someone scanning one to pay, check a website, or transfer money to split a business dinner.
Its had massive effects on many industries. One of the first retailer in Asia who rolled out QR codes in the early 2010s? One of their campaigns got 200,000 scans in under a minute. It’s not unique either. I’ve had similar experiences as a marketing strategist.
So how are they used? Here’s some examples:
Networking Events
Collect gifts at a wedding
To identify pets
Identify senior citizens
Post and reply to job boards
Checking the source and authenticity of food and drinks
Bike Sharing
Bus and Metro Passes
As information point in street signs
For gaming
For advertisement
East and SE Asian consumers mass adoption of cashless e-wallets have a lot do with the expansion and use of QR codes.
QR payment trend in Asia began with the mass adoption of AliPay, WeChat Pay, KakaoPay, and others. With many tourists from China, Japan, and Korea using these QR payment apps, it encouraged many merchants and banks to support this kind of payment.
East and SE Asian consumers mass adoption of cashless e-wallets have a lot do with the expansion and use of QR codes. While cash is still used (I’m not exception), QR codes are a great way to pay for physical merchants. Street vendors frequently have a sign for you to scan and pay.
QR payments also allow cross border payments for tourists and reduces the need for them to buy foreign currency, encouraging spending. This been the case especially in the Indonesia, which as seen the 3x increases in QR code usage for vendors of all types.
The market exists and is maturing. The opportunity is there: a golden opportunity.
A Golden Opportunity for Apps and Marketing
So now you have a background, the real question. How does artistic QR codes matter?
For marketers, its an opportunity to drive sales, increase brand awareness, and build relationships with customers.
For app devleopers and startups, an opportunity to develop an app or tool that can generate these quickly for the marketers.
Lets break the opportunities for each down.
Artistic QR codes are a golden opportunity for marketers to make inroads into existing and established markets they haven’t before.
What's in it for Marketers?
With the QR code market being so huge, its a opportunity for individual merchants, vendors, and even people to differentiate themselves. East Asia as a crowded and very competitive market. The first adopters who can do this at scale? Major advantage.
Here’s why:
Visual Appeal. Lets’ face it. QR codes are ugly and are hard to notice in black and white. Integrating a beautiful graphic design is a visual hook. It creates curiosity and gets users to scan it. They wonder what is behind the code, increasing interaction rates.
Brand Identity. Recognition is king. Adding a compelling branding enhances and reinforces the brands identity. Having unique and stimulating images helps memory. Especially if they emphasize emotional experiences associated with the brand.
User Experience. Look at the picture above with the dancing QR codes. Not exactly easy on the eyes. An aesthetically pleasing designs here would enhance user experience, making potential customers more likely to engage with the code.
Novelty. Since its early, novelty will really help here for brands trying to stand out. People will scan just because of hype. To see if it works. This drives people into the funnel faster. Even more if its creatively executed.
Making the design pleasing is important, but that the functionality of the QR code should not be compromised in the design process. QR codes should remain easily scannable, even with art. Test endlessly.
Artistic QR codes are a golden opportunity for marketers to infuse creativity without hampering functionality.
What's in it for Apps and Startups?
For apps and startups, its going to be about being able to enable the businesses and marketers. Then being able to standardize the costs, and make the experience repeatable. Its a lesson I learned over and over as a marketing strategist.
They key to monetizing will be able to create a stable product that scales, and provides a great user experience. Users who are looking for artistic QR codes want their designs to work, and the links to reach their custstomers.
There’s four opportunities I think should be focused on:
Stability. Make it possible for users to get a scannable petty product every time. It really is a mixed bag right now. Sometimes your artistic QR code works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Enable a consistent product every time.
Scale. Marketing campaigns don’t run off a single QR code. They run off multiple ones - multiple copy needs to be approved by marketing teams. Make sure to do it at cost. Enable something that allows multiple scannable versions.
User Experience. A good UI and UX interface will matter. Marketing teams don’t want to waste time installing multiple Github Repos. They want an out of the box tool they can easily use. Create something for them, not for you.
Innovation. Research marketing use cases. Staying ahead in a competitive market demands it. In both Asia and North America, have used drones to create QR codes in the sky. Other possibilities include projecting these on a surface using a light or making animated versions.
ChatGPT. Using a prompt interface once stability and scalability is possible? Even more value delivered for users. Makes it faster to create marketing material on the fly. Good marketing too, in our age.
Businesses that find value in these artistic QR codes may be willing to pay a recurring subscription fee. For access to advanced features, integrations, and the ability to generate unlimited QR codes. It provides a predictable revenue stream.
The key to monetizing? Will lie heavily on the demonstration of usability and proven ability to enhance their branding, engage customers, and increase sales. Consistently. Proven value means more revenue streams and product offerings.
Final Thoughts
Artistic QR codes are a great opportunity and monetization opportunity for marketers, developers, and startups alike. It’s a great way to build on existing structures and carve out a unique nitche.
In summary:
QR Codes are essential parts of daily life in markets in Asia Pacific and beyond.
Artistic QR codes made with stable diffusion and control net are a marketing opportunity — to whoever makes it useable at scale.
Marketers can harness them to create aunique customer experiences in a markets where QR codes have been popularized.
App Developers and Startups that can ensure stability and scalability have a unique MVP and monetization opportunity
Thanks for reading! I write frequently about topics in Data Strategy, Operations, and Machine Learning.