QR Codes in Home Improvement: Kohler Nails It
I recently wrote a post covering the basics of quick response codes and how they are being used by retailers and other forward-thinking persons. Since then, Content Ping has been fortunate enough to chat with Seattle-based, QR-Jedi Murat Divringi. He's a true expert on the topic, so I highly recommend checking out his view of the future, which includes a retail landscape covered in "robot barf."
This approximate re-creation of robot barf is also a bad example of QR code design.
I originally intended to give examples of both good and bad QR code use, but frankly, bad is the status quo. So if you want a bad example, just scan the first QR code you see--the odds are in your favor.
I will, however, list a few common QR mistakes:
- The content is not mobile optimized (Why would anyone commit this blunder?)
- The code itself isn't easily visible
- The content is cumbersome or overwhelming (like a massive PDF or slow-loading video)
- No information to indicate what the payoff is--a code with no explanation is less likely to be scanned
- The payoff is disappointing--this just further embitters shoppers already skeptical about QR codes
Using the QR Code to Deliver Merchandising Content
I would now like to share with you fine people a review of good QR execution. Kohler--illustrious manufacturer of faucets, shower heads, and other shiny things--deserves serious props for their excellent use of the quick response code. Rather than attempting something flashy or serving up a half-baked idea, Kohler gives the QR scanner exactly what they need: clear, thorough merchandising content that helps the shopper come to a decision about an item.
The images below are screenshots of what you'd receive if walked into a Home Depot and scanned the QR code for a particular Kohler sink. It is simply a mobile-optimized product page that happens to have superb content.
A person can walk into a home improvement store, scan the QR code associated with this product, and within seconds be viewing useful merchandising content. This is one of the keys to QR code use: the content should be relevant to the consumer right then and there. That is certainly the case with this undercounter sink.
Using a QR code this way is essentially the same thing as using a retailer app to research a product in lieu of a sales assistant. However, for people who aren't intimidated by QR codes, a simple scan is much quicker than opening and navigating an app, typing in the exact product name, and so on.
Admittedly, much of this potential is predicated on shoppers having the know-how to scan a QR code. But the amount of effort a manufacturer or retailer has to put into attaching a code to content is fairly minimal, and the benefit to the shopper could be considerable. Besides, once more marketing folk begin to make better use of QR codes, savvy shoppers--and those inclined to be on the cutting edge of technology--will doubtlessly catch on, and a classic chicken-and-egg event will ensue.
The Ping Takeaway:
Use QR codes to deliver relevant information, not for useless marketing ploys.
Very nice and timely article.
Hope people will catch on and use QR codes properly. Tired of being forward to a useless corporate web site on my smartphone.
The only way to improve this article would be including the Kohler QR code in it…
Thanks!
Thanks!
Here is the URL attached to said Kohler QR code, in case you’re interested:
http://www.us.kohler.com/upc/650531930187
so why would I want to read about this product on a QR code page when everything I want to know about this product is already on the packaging. Shouldn’t I be getting something interactive like product VIDEOS on the page or other information like product components and SAVE this product to my WISH LIST (so I can show it to my husband at home or to my plumber to purchase it for me) etc, etc. Why is this KOHLER QR experience any good if the content is static? Where is the installation video, inspiration video about this product on this KOHLER QR page? To me this is just another web page with ton of text so I can validate what’s on the packaging.
Perhaps you should have scanned other product boxes like American Standard toilets, sinks, etc or MOEN and other brands to compare what others are doing.
NOW this is a QR page that I’d consider interesting – Check out American Standard guys and what they are offering on their page — ton of videos about the product. They even give me links to browse through news and If I happen to speak French or Spanish, I have an option to see the content in different languages. Perhaps this could be another blog post for you. Just saying! —> American Standard QR Code page URL: http://m.americanstandard-us.com/products/product_detail.aspx?id=1624
Thanks.
Those are very good questions and points!
First, I must note that said product did not have all that information on the package. In my experience, most products do not have all–or even most–of the specs listed on the packaging. Often it is in the manual, but even there I’m sometimes left wanting.
One of the most important elements of QR content, in my opinion, is that it should be tailored to be as useful as possible right there at the point of scanning. In this scenario, the most immediately useful content is that which helps the shopper decide whether or not the product is right for them. That would mostly likely include specs, perhaps along with some feature/benefit-oriented narrative.
I absolutely agree that product videos are an excellent tool. On a mobile device, though, video can often be slow and cumbersome, so shoppers may not always have the patience to view it in-store. So if you do elect to link QR codes to video, I think it’s important that it not be the default content–rather, just part of a bigger package that you can save and access at your convenience.
I very much appreciate the feedback, and as a token of my gratitude, I will return to Home Depot to sample some other QR codes–including American Standard’s. Look for a freshly informed post or comment within a week or two.