The QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional bar codes. It is the new standard that is replacing the traditional bar codes, since it can hold much more data.
The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. The data from the image can be captured and read by cellphones, smart-phones, and QR scanners.
A QR-Code-enabled device can take a snapshot of the 2D bar code and open the referenced URL in web browser automatically!
How could your business benefit from QR codes?
QR codes can be utilized in a number of ways, for example:
- Generate one next to every product on your site, encode all product details: id, price, url, etc.
- Add one to your business card containing your complete contact details.
- Embed them in promotions such as coupons.
- Display them in offline advertisements to give the customer quick access to what you are selling.
Goo.gle and QR Encoding
A not so well known feature of goo.gl is that you can append .qr to any short URL to generate a QR code for that short URL.
For instance, http://goo.gl/fbsS.qr links directly to a QR image which you can put in an HTML image tag.
If you do a search on Google Images, you can get a feeling for how people are using this technology.
Google Charts API
You can also use the Google Charts API to generate a QR image for any URL like this:
http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=100x100&chl=http://googlurlshortener.blogspot.com
Which links to an image like this:
