You might have seen these recently in a variety of places, you might have often heard people talking about them in the realm of mobile and wondered precisely what the heck they may be. Quick response codes (described as “QR” codes) are a very convenient way to display a small bit of information that is easily scanned and processed typically by mobile phones allowing physical items to almost become interactive, by providing information that’s quickly scanned like a site URL.

To make a simpler analogy, most of the people are familiar with Universal Product codes (referred to as UPC codes). Everything you buy at the supermarket (and almost any store right now) has one of those that visit the site cashier will scan. The computer then immediately knows exactly what the product is in accordance with the code which it picked up.

Does anyone remember the days of grocery shopping and also the cashier had to punch within the prices and codes for almost every item you purchased. They had to memorize these types of within their head and should they forgot? They had to pick up the loud smart phone, make an announcement within the store asking for someone in that department to help them to out.

Think of QR codes as UPC codes but alternatively they are used in a significantly broader spectrum, not simply 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 website address). Lets say you are at a trade show and you are walking by my booth. You want to find out more details about my company, so you open up your mobile device and start fumbling away trying to type in some long URL (that’s on my display) into your browser, and off you go.

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

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

Whole Foods Market (popular within the US/Canada) uses these within their stores. I was recently sitting down to possess a bite to eat at the one in Yorkville Toronto, and on the table where I was sitting was a table tent with two Quick Response codes. It was obvious where they can 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 enthusiastic about checking out their Twitter or Facebook page, rather than opening up each respective app and going to the search function and typing in 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!