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QR Codes - In or Out?

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#11
Ed Brooks said:
...
"...are you Amish?" never fails to crack me up!
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Ed, that's one of my all time favorites, that you posted months earlier (and I couldn't find it)! BookMarked it!!!

I've liked QR codes about as much as FB for car dealers :-P and that video nails it to perfection!

So many of my ideas have failed, that I've got a saying to keep my enthusiasm in check

"Just because it's a good idea, doesn't mean it'll work"
..--Uncle Joe Life Lesson #988 circa 1984
 
#12
The Dealer Specialties team is printing them on Window Stickers, others may be doing it too, I honestly do not know. Is this a good strategy to try to engage an afterhours shopper? maybe...

If I'm lurking on a lot after hours to see if you actually have the vehicle in stock and see a QR code on a window sticker that gives me additional information that was otherwise unavailable I might be impressed enough to request a callback the next day. If it is just niche, entice me to use the QR code and make me feel better, smarter, whatever appeals to the niche user for knowing what it was and I might be impressed enough to engage. Either way, if your sales team is replaced by QR codes on a window sticker that may be a problem, but that is just my 2 cents.
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These stats from emarketer are interesting if nothing else.

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#15
The good news on QR Codes is that you can experiment with them at no cost. Sites like bit.ly convert any URL to a QR Code for free. Even better, they allow you to track every time the code is scanned. I wouldn't spend any time, energy or money on this at this point in time, but you don't have to. A QR Code can be generated for free in seconds.

So put 'em on your window stickers, in your print ads, on the back of your business card - it hurts nothing. View it as an experiment and see how many scans (clicks) you generate.

But remember that your customer will be using a mobile device and make sure the content that the code directs to makes sense for mobile - your mobile site for instance - or better yet the VDP for the specific vehicle on your mobile site. Flash content (that doesn't play on an iPhone) on your normal website would be a FAIL.
 
#16
In - but with a different perspective...

We use QR codes in 2 primary ways. We have them on our Window stickers, and while few shoppers may scan them, they are very useful for our sales reps on the lot. Our sales reps carry smart phones, and they can scan a window sticker QR code and share the latest price, show the full CarFax history report with the shopper on the spot, and more. The other way we use QR codes is on our ads, which is an indicator to a shopper that we are "mobile-friendly".

Of note, I have attended some networking groups where the big talk is about the codes that Microsoft is using - and which you have likely seen in a lot of the big magazines (best recent example is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, which told you to scan the code for behind the scenes video...)
 
#17
I like it Kevin. Get your sales people involved and allow them to use QR codes as a tool for engaging the consumer. Plus I'm sure it would make it a conversation piece and the customer will forever remember that "sales guy at abcmotors show me what a QR code was". The conversation could continue, allowing the sales person to build more rapport.

For me, the jury is still our on QR. There's no standard for QR. Lots of code generators and lots of different readers = compatibility issues = frustration.

Kevin - you're referring to MS Tag. Microsoft has done a great job in getting this in the hands of some big players. The Tag is a smoother code and process. BUT it's MS.

Then of course now Google is supporting NFC. So what could happen there?

Too many options quickly fragmenting a technology that is far from being mainstream yet. Could cause confusion and never take off. Or a winner would prevail and one becomes a standard. Or they all succeed and there some build a universal reader.

I agree with Ed. Right now it's cheap - free mostly. Take advantage. It's new and engaging (for the ones that actually use it). About the only thing it takes up is a little initial time and some open real estate.
 
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