Like a sexy QR code?
Once upon a time, scan codes were limited to retail’s sensitive scanners and were very difficult to incorporate into package design. Then, designers realized they could make the codes pretty and smaller as tech innovation made the scanners less sensitive. Then, QR codes came to be, and smartphone users could scan billboards and business cards to be sent to a dedicated URL. Designers have also figured out how to make QR codes beautiful, but some are dissatisfied that it is still looks like a jumbled version of a bar code and fear adoption rates are low.
While we continue to assert that QR codes are likely a passing trend, the tech world is still creating ways to use mobile devices to connect with consumers, and pushing for adoption, so while QR codes may eventually be replaced by augmented reality, it is a business tool that is being adopted in the meantime.
But QR codes do tend to be a little ugly and limited to smartphone users. Enter SnapTags, “your logo… but interactive,” according to their website. As depicted in the image above, the technology works just like a QR code, but with added capabilities and more design-friendly aesthetics. Consumers can use a smartphone or a standard mobile phone to snap and send a picture of the SnapTag to a designated short code, or they can scan using the SnapTag Reader App. Brands are using the SnapTags to push content, coupons and promotions and supporters praise the SMS capabilities offered through SnapTag and add that the opt-in mobile use adds the opportunity to market to the user as opposed to just sending them to a website, making it easier to track.
The down side to SnapTag is that it is not a free service, and a simple “Text JACK to 2999” could be added below a QR code, giving it similar functions. The up side to SnapTag which could give it some success is that it is a much more visibly aesthetic design than the clunky QR code or bar code. It could serve as a more sophisticated option for brands as we await the day that augmented reality becomes mainstream.
QR codes VS SnapTags
Click to enlarge:
