You may have seen these recently in several places, you might already know people speaking about them in the arena of mobile and wondered exactly what the heck they may be. Quick response codes (referred to as “QR” codes) are a very convenient way to display a small bit of information which is easily scanned and processed typically by mobile phones allowing physical items to almost become interactive, by providing information that is effortlessly scanned like a site URL.

To make a simpler analogy, most individuals are familiar with Universal Product codes (called UPC codes). Everything you buy at the food store (and almost any store these days) has one of those that the cashier will scan. The computer then immediately knows just what the product is according to the code which it picked up.

Does anyone remember the days of grocery shopping and the cashier had to punch within the prices and codes for just about every item you purchased. They had to memorize many of these within their head and if they forgot? They had to pick up the loud smartphone, make an announcement within the store asking for somebody in that department to help them to out.

Think of qr code services codes as UPC codes but alternatively they’re utilized in a lot broader spectrum, not just to ‘identify’ products but to convey ‘information’ of some kind.

The most basic (and popular use) of Quick Response codes is to display website information (a site address). Lets say you are at a trade show and you’re walking by my booth. You want to find out more details about my company, so you open up your mobile phone and start fumbling away trying to type in certain long URL (which is on my display) into your browser, and off you go.

The additional option could be for me to display a QR code (on my display), you take your smartphone and scan it much like cashiers scan items at the grocery store, as well as your smart phone automatically starts loading my website, how is that for convenience?

What about billboards outside on the street, or bus shelters while waiting for public transportation. You may place these little codes anywhere. People with free scanners on their own mobile phones (iPhones, BlackBerrys, Androids, Nokia, etc.) can quickly scan the code and find out additional information, like opening up a website.

Whole Foods Market (popular in the US/Canada) uses these in their stores. I was recently sitting down to have a bite to eat at the one in Yorkville Toronto, as well as on the table where I was sitting was a table tent with two Quick Response codes. It was obvious where they will take me if I scanned them, one would take me to their Twitter account, as well as the other would take me to their Facebook page.

If I was considering checking out their Twitter or Facebook page, rather than opening up each respective app and going to the search function and typing within their name etc. (I likely would not, too much effort) I could pick up my mobile phone, scan the QR code and automatically open each page!