Why social distancing is sparking a QR code revival
The hospitality sector has found QR codes to be an ideal tool for reassuring nervous customers as they return after the Covid-19 lockdown.
In the fast-moving world of pandemic protocols and etiquette, the QR code – studiously ignored by most western consumers since it was designed in 1994 – might finally be showing its worth.
The Quick Response code system was developed in Japan, originally as parts-tracking technology for the automotive industry. Yet while some regions have adopted QR codes as a useful everyday technology, they have met broadly with consumer ambivalence in the UK. Until now.
As wary consumers seek ways to avoid touching surfaces that might harbour the Covid-19 virus, the accessible and widely-available QR code – that works on any smartphone – could solve many problems.
Digital restaurant menus, queuing information, ingredient details, directions and any number of other practical applications are giving consumers a chance to reappraise the humble QR code. Brands are also finding additional benefits to using the technology too.
BrewDog ran a scheme to buy customers a pint, using a QR code they could take into pubs.