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10 Cool Facts About QR Codes


From business cards to Sunday ads and even church bulletins, QR codes are popping up everywhere.  So, it’s likely you’ve used an online QR code generator, or at least scanned one in the last few months. (Get up to speed on QR codes by reading our short post.) Today, however, we’d like to explore a few lesser-known facts and statistics about QR codes.
  1. QR codes don’t have to be black and white – As long as the contrast between light and dark areas is great enough for readers to detect, you can create branded QR codes to help promote your business.
  2. Scanning grew 1200% during the last quarter of 2010.
  3. The largest QR code on record was created by Audi, which measures a whopping 159 square meters (that’s 1711 square feet, for the non-metrically inclined).
  4. The iPhone is the most popular scanning device for QR codes.
  5. They were first introduced in 1994 – The Japanese firm, Denso Wave Inc., first created them for the sole purpose of tracking vehicle parts.
  6. Two-thirds of all QR codes are scanned by women.
  7. Print media accounts for only 1% of all scanned QR codes.
  8. “Extreme Scanning” is when users excessively scan QR codes hundreds of times more than the average user – Contests appear to be the driving force behind this phenomenon.
  9. Over one-fourth of all scanned QR codes were scanned by 35-44 year old consumers.
  10. Excluding Japan, the United States has the highest QR code usage rate than any other country.
Related Article: Barcode: The Ultimate Guide to Barcodes
We’ll continue to see different applications and unique uses for QR Codes, just like this one here. What’s the coolest QR code placement you’ve seen? Sources: mobioid.com | jumpscan.com