I scan QR codes. That’s not the basis of any argument, but I tell you that because every time I scan a code I hope that the URL the reader displays is a bit.ly address.

Why? Because bit.ly stats are public.

Finally, after close to probably a hundred different scans, I found one on a bag of Craisins at my parents house during Thanksgiving.

What I Know

It seems that these QR codes were only placed on certain bags (appears to be the larger bags only) for only a little while. By the time I got to a grocery store to check, none of the bags had QR codes. The motivation was to get a free recipe.

Here’s how the bit.ly chart looked (or at least the meat of it):

And the total scans? Well, as of December 1, 2013 there were 23,513. Yes, you read right, a tiny QR code on a large, hard-to-scan bag of Craisins has been scanned over 23,000 times.

Don’t Forget

The bottom line is this: QR codes can work. Like any other tool, they aren’t guaranteed to, but they can.

And this data point isn’t alone. Another bit.ly QR I found on a Harry & David catalog I saw (actually, my wife saved it for me because it had a QR…now that’s love) after writing this post had been scanned over 16,000 times. I’ve talked to many resorts that have seen a solid scan count on their QR codes and my own data showed that, when given a choice between a bit.ly URL and a QR code, over 30% chose to scan rather than type.

With a solid reason to scan, QR codes work.

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