bieMEDIA, an online marketing and media company, is predicting the end of the QR Code. It believes that these codes will be replaced with mobile visual search, which provides consumers with faster, more convenient and compelling, interactive marketing experiences.

"QR Codes were introduced as a quick extension to modernize the bar code," says bieMEDIA CEO Jon Barocas. "The issue is that these 'squares' take up valuable real estate on a business' marketing collateral or even act as an eye sore to the storefront."

Barocas goes on to discuss the company’s investment in Mobile Acuity—and why it’s the answer to the issues with QR codes.

Although his point has a self-serving aim, Barcoas does strike a nerve: QR codes are very popular among marketers. But consumers? Not so much.  Despite the growing popularity of this technology, it just hasn't caught on with the public. 57% of consumers who have scanned a QR code say they did nothing with the information, compared to 21% who shared the information with someone and 18% who made a purchase, according to a survey by Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB).

In fact, of those who have scanned a QR code, just 41% said that they found the information they received useful, while 42% had mixed feelings and 18% said the information was not useful.

More Focused Use

More than likely, QR code use will become more specialized or targeted for specific audiences as the allure wears off. B2B marketers could find their use compelling, for example.  More marketers are making them a part of integrated campaigns. They are also increasingly being used by retailers at transportation hubs as a way to make quick purchases. They are also breathing new life into established formats such as email marketing and as OFM, an office and school furniture manufacturer now shows, in product catalogs.