Tracking the QR Opportunity

Introduction

Digital menus, product packaging, tickets, and identification – QR Codes seem everywhere now. Once an overlooked, clunky technology, QR Codes have had a recent resurgence. Thanks to COVID-19 and advancements in our mobile devices, QR adoption has gone mainstream in only a few short years. And even though global QR Code scans increased by 443% in 2022, we are still only scratching the surface of harnessing the true power and business augmentation that they provide.

If we think back to the inception of QR Codes, invented by Denso Wave in 1994, the original problem that led to this invention was that the Toyota subsidiary needed a more accurate way to track vehicles and parts during the manufacturing process. QR codes solved that problem. But they were still a little ahead of their time. The internet, mobile devices, and apps were just distant dreams. Only with these technological advances will the full potential of QR Codes be realized. Today, the combination of this new technology with QR codes provides limitless potential for frictionless asset management solutions. While many applications have emerged to tackle a wide variety of QR Code-powered use cases, when used correctly, QR Codes provide a superior asset management experience around initiating, tracking, managing and enabling enterprise supply chains in diverse industries.

Controlling QR “State”

One of the features that QR Codes offer is immense versatility. With this inherent level of flexibility comes more possible applications and use cases. It’s important to see through the “QR Noise” and identify areas where QR Codes truly add value and are not a marketing gimmick. Enabling supply chains is just that — an area where QR Code technology provides a well-positioned foundation to build robust solutions, enabling key stakeholders to have timely information as assets flow through their supply chain. When it comes to an asset moving through a supply chain, whether that’s an automobile part, router, soil sample, or medical instruments tray, there are common themes. First, security and authentication – who will be able to access the information stored on that QR code? How will the security be enforced? Will there be different roles or access delegation? Does the asset’s status, quantity, location, condition, and value change over its life? These are all relevant questions that Openscreen can help solve and manage when using our platform to automate and enable your supply chain. While we are all familiar with the QR code that scans to a website, in many cases a QR code may be needed but the data, workflow, or destination may not be known. Openscreen’s platform can create “inactive” QRs, which can be appended to any asset. Once the data or workflows are defined, the QR code is simply scanned to initiate it and registered as active. All subsequent scans would follow the programmed workflows. Openscreen’s ability to change the status and workflow of a QR code as it moves through your supply chain facilitates the creation of powerful tracking enablement solutions. And our flexibility makes it easy to rapidly integrate this functionality into your mission-critical supply chain processes.

Controlling QR “View”

One of the biggest challenges with robust tracking applications is mobility and internet connectivity. Without an internet connection, many platforms fail. Openscreen Track is a solution that allows you to capture data without a live internet connection and then post that data when a connection is available. Openscreen Track can also create access restrictions that control who can access which data points. A manufacturer, vendor, or customer scanning the same QR code would have different permissions, workflows, and ultimately end views. To illustrate this point further, take an automobile part as an example. As it passes through its lifecycle from manufacturing to a final consumer, the company’s authenticated users will want to see and access different pieces of information than what will be relevant to consumers and the public. Openscreen Track makes this level of dual visibility possible and easy.

Blue background image with car part scanned to phone to register

 

It’s Not ALL About the QR

As our CTO reminds our team and our clients, “The QR Code is just the front door in.” What does he mean exactly by this? Well, QR Codes are a great entry point for causing a specific intent to occur, i.e., bringing a user to a specific URL or website, but that’s just the beginning; it’s the logic, foundation, and set of valuable micro-services built behind the QR that really allow the magic to happen. The Openscreen platform has been built as a developer-first platform and has been architected with 5 core objects (Scans, Assets, QR Codes, Messages, & Contacts).  These building blocks can be rapidly stitched together to enable powerful tracking solutions for enterprises. Nuvolinq, an IoT service provider, uses Openscreen’s QR platform to track, manage, and submit service calls for their routers. The QR code used by support staff to register a router is the same QR code used by customers to submit a trouble ticket. The workflows change, but the QR code remains constant. From sending a message to specific contacts upon a QR scan to triggering a status change from “inactive” to “active”, sending and receiving goods, transferring ownership, and changing data points, Openscreen’s Track solution can help businesses enable their supply chains quickly while reducing costs, automating mission-critical processes, and putting valuable business insights at management’s fingertips. Try it today for free at www.openscreen.com or reach out to us at sales@openscreen.com to learn more!

Smarter Product Sampling with QR Codes

The team at Openscreen recently had the opportunity to help power a business that’s nothing short of a revolution in product sampling and customer engagement.  Imagine a frictionless, contactless, retail experience where brands can provide a low-cost product trial experience, while gleaning invaluable first-party data from prospective customers.

Enter Dori, a Toronto-based company that is reinventing the contactless customer experience with Openscreen’s QR Code based product sampling solution.

More than Just a Vending Machine

We’ve all seen the traditional vending machine.  Rows upon rows of consumer products, from cans of coca-cola to high priced electronics.  Pick your product, enter your credit card, and carry on.   The Dori sampling experience is entirely different.  Although they do offer vending options, their sampling offering is unique and timely in today’s data-driven economy, which is placing more emphasis on contactless user experiences.

Simple Workflow, Powerful Results

At its core, the Dori experience is brilliantly simple. First, brands like Goodfood provide samples of their products in high traffic kiosk locations like this one in Toronto’s famous Distillery District.

Next, people who are interested in a free product sample simply scan a QR Code that is displayed on the outside of the physical kiosk to jumpstart their contactless experience.  And then, magic happens.

The customer is provided with a simple form, through which they provide some demographic information, and perhaps answer a question or two that would be helpful to the sampling brand.

Within seconds, the customer receives a secure, one-time QR Code voucher by SMS, which they can redeem for a sample of their choice from the machine. Using this modernized sampling approach, Goodfood gathered over 4,400 consenting contacts within 1 month at the Eaton Centre and Distillery District.

Dori = Data

Gone are the days where paid employees set up camp in a store or park and start tossing out samples to an anonymous hoard of people.  Return on investment in these campaigns is an impossible metric to measure, and often it’s difficult to control the disbursement of samples in these free-for-all environments.

With Dori’s QR Code based product sampling, there is a one-to-one ratio of sample to customer and both brand and consumer leave happy.  Customers get to sample a free product, and brands get invaluable first-party, consented data that can be used to better understand their market opportunities.

Openscreen and Dynamic Voucher QR Codes

Openscreen’s flexible API enables e-Commerce platforms like Dori to generate secure, dynamic QR Code vouchers directly from 3rd party sources.  In addition, Openscreen provides scan-to-form solutions that acquire and store first party contact data on behalf of the companies that use the company’s solutions. Given its extensive API and SDK library and ecosystem, Openscreen is uniquely positioned to enable your business to use QR Codes in a variety of frictionless e-Commerce use cases.  Talk to one of our experts today to learn how we can augment your business processes and platforms.

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