Why QR Codes and Higher Ed are a perfect match
The pandemic propelled QR codes back into the spotlight, and now they’re here to stay. If you work in higher education, here’s what you should know about QR codes…
Did you watch the Super Bowl this year?? Or maybe a better question is, Did you watch the Super Bowl commercials this year?? The marketing game that is on display is just as and if not sometimes more competitive than what happens on the field.? This time was no different and there was one commercial that garnished quite a lot of buzz with its simple use of a technology that has been around for a very long time.?
That QR code?
The Coinbase commercial, to be specific. The advert itself was said to have cost $14 million and it showed a QR code bouncing around the screen for a whole 60 seconds. If you are an old school gamer then you felt the familiar tug of Pong as you watched, but then the realization hit that the commercial was asking you to do something.? You could almost hear all of the viewers start to shout as they grabbed their phones and instantly started to bring the Coinbase information into their worlds.?
The result was 20 million hits to their website…?
A few years ago, this was probably unheard of. A QR code? Really?
Believe it.?
The Super Bowl is of course a high profile example, but right now, we’re seeing QR codes everywhere. On TV. At the cinema. In restaurants. Even some of the biggest brands in the world are using QR codes - with Starbucks, Netflix and Nike being just a few.?
They can also be of huge value in the world of higher education.?
What are they?
Let’s dive into the history books to understand QR codes a little better. Standing for ‘quick response’, QR codes first came on the scene way back in the nineties. The first QR code was created in 1994 and was the brainchild of Hara Masahiro, an engineer at Japanese manufacturing company Denso. They made their way into the mainstream and increased in popularity over time; 14 million Americans scanned a QR code during June in 2011.?
However, QR codes began to fall out of favor as sometimes will happen with technology that doesn’t necessarily evolve.? Then the global pandemic hit and touchless technologies weren’t just wanted, they were needed.?
The Pandemic Effect
All of a sudden, QR codes found themselves back in the spotlight. As Forbes puts it, “the pandemic saved the QR from extinction.” The use of QR codes flourished across multiple sectors, from convenience stores, to pharmacies, to retail shop fronts. They also became mandatory in some settings - in the UK government’s track and trace initiative, for example.?
The pandemic propelled touchless technologies back into the public view. With social distancing in play and increased hygiene consciousness, contactless payment leapt in popularity. In the UK, the number of purchases made by contactless technology doubled between May 2020 and the same month the previous year. Touchless experiences - from taps and dryers to touchless check-in kiosks at airports - became much more common.
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QR codes in higher education
Now, let’s look at how QR codes can help if you work in higher education. QR codes have been incredibly helpful throughout the pandemic, especially when strict protocols around the pandemic were still in place. They make for a safer, smarter check-in at on campus events - and they enable you to have a much better read on your data. Need to know how many visitors you have in one space at a time? Use QR codes and they’ve got you. The QR code is now one of the most common features that clients of Gecko deploy in our various modules.??
Ways that Gecko clients use QR codes in higher education
Benefits of using QR codes by Gecko clients and in higher education?
Read more about how Gecko can help you use QR codes here?
Are QR codes here to stay??
I believe that not only are they here to stay, but you will see a continued improvement to the overall buying experience that a people can provide their customers.? It’s important to understand what exactly Coinbase did with that ad.? They extended their 60 second ad to one with no time constraints and received instant real-time data on the effectiveness of what they were putting out there.? That is information that drives future interactions and they can act on that data immediately if they choose.??
The use of this same concept in higher education is being utilized already and Gecko is sitting in a position to guide/help those that are coming into this world with direct experience. If you want to deliver slick, seamless, and personable experiences for your prospective and current students - QR codes are a winner.?
Whether it’s in the context of higher education or in everyday life, QR codes just make things simpler.?
If you'd like to learn more about how Gecko incorporates QR codes into their clients student engagement strategies please reach out to me via linked in or visit our website!