SHORT VERSION – DON’T DO IT.*
LONG VERSION? Read on…
So you want to add a QR code to your van? Let me try and convince you not to do it, and if you have a few minutes to read why not it should become clear.
FIRSTLY – Sorta pointless**. nobody is scanning your QR code while they’re driving. It’s against the law to operate a mobile device while driving, but even if that wasn’t the case people still wouldn’t scan the code. They might try, but it won’t work. To make that code readable with a mobile while driving meters away it would need to be huge on the van, and that’s something not even your need for the QR code will overcome.
SECONDLY – Ugly. nothing that people have brought to me as a QR code has ever been to complex to replace with simple wording, so why make your van butt-ugly with a QR code? Over half the time QR codes simply direct people to a website – which can be placed on the van in clear plain text. QR codes are for machines, not for people. To read a QR code you need a Rosetta stone device, and why complicate matters for people even more just so they can get in touch?
THIRDLY – Complexity. It complicates your message. As previously mentioned almost every QR code request was for a website of sort (eg: own website, FB page, Instagram etc). Any of these are already noted on your van, but you’re now forcing people to wonder what they’re missing out behind that QR code. Seriously, when you see a QR code you have no idea where it’ll take you or how important it is.
FOURTHLY? Do people say that? Fourth point then – Cost. I can’t begin to explain how many times over the years customers have created QR codes with some online service only to realise they need to pay 30, 60 or 90 days later to keep that code functional. Some services only allow the first X amount of QR scans for free, then you need to pay to unlock further usage of your code.
See, what these service do is act as a middle-man – and for the most part you don’t need that. Now they offer link tracking and analytics such as what sort of device was used to scan the link, where the scan occurred, the time and other metrics. But many of these checks can be performed in your own web hosting system. A QR code can be “manually” generated without the need for a third-party, and I can assist you with this (as long as it’s NOT for your vehicle). Most lads simply want a perspective customer to get hold of them, they don’t care what device was used to scan the QR. So again, why complicate matters for readers?
Alright – I clearly hate QR codes, right? No. Like most things in life QR codes have their place. They’re smart little things that have a lot of technology built into and around them. Just know where they’re meant to be used.
Here’s some places I can recommend QR codes:
- The first but probably least obvious – product identification, but we’ll leave that to retailers and their industry.
- Printed media – a leaflet might contain a “beautified” QR code that when scanned that will take the reader directly to a survey, special video etc. It saves them from entering a long URL and they’re not driving trying to open a camera or scanning app and risking life and limb to get to your website.
- P.O.S material (hanging banners, shop front windows, etc) Now, QR codes are still ugly, but here their unfortunate faces do get outweighed by their usefulness. This salon and whomever created the sandwich board outside knows what they were doing – kudos to them. A very sleek all-polished steel board with a huge, easy to scan QR and little else. The wording tells the reader what the QR code will be doing – sending them to a booking portal. In this case you have slow moving foot traffic, and it’s perfectly legal to walk and use a mobile (for now…kidding), so the sign is a huge nett-benefit to the reader. They don’t have to remember a long or even short URL. Simple quickly scan and they’re presented with a booking form. Even passengers in cars can scan it as it’s at a slow moving traffic section.
So, I hope you now have an idea why QR codes on fast moving vehicles make no sense. But if you’re still wanting to use it, give me a ring – I’ll give you a cheeky smirk and at least help you get the rest of your van looking good 🙂
*You’ll have to read where it’s more acceptable to use.
**No, not completely pointless, but on a fast moving van far away, pretty pointless
Spotted a typo, or an outright mistake? Let me know!