Deal Town Team is exploring new ways to apply technology to tourism and help visitors get more from their visit to our High Street and help improve their local shopping experience.
Formerly confined to industrial uses, quick response (QR) codes have in recent years become common in consumer advertising and packaging, because the increased popularity of smartphones “has put a barcode reader in everyone’s pocket” for the first time.
The Deal Town Team will enhance their visitors’ experience by using clearly signed QR codes around the town to give visitors tourist information about the town, its landmarks and history, as well as practical advice about parking and toilet facilities.
See how New York’s Central Park made use of QR codes for the World Park campaign below.
Being creative
Unlike conventional barcodes, QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) and can be scanned vertically or horizontally. QR codes can also be creative. Thanks to a 30% tolerance in readability, you can have some real fun with clever designs. Besides looking good, this can also make them more successful and be the difference between someone scanning your code or not.
[quote]“A QR code on an Astor Theatre billboard could take you to a youtube video showing a performance”[/quote]
A wide range of uses
A traditional 1D barcode stores up to 30 numbers, while a 2D barcode (QR) can store up to 7,089 numbers. This means they can be used for:
- Text
- Hyperlink
- Telephone number (Phone call)
- SMS/MMS message
- Email (Send message)
- Contact entry (vCard or meCard)
- Calendar entry (vCalendar)
Storing a hyperlink presents a myriad of possibilities beyond just loading a web page. For example you can play a video, download a mobile app, update a Twitter status, “Like” a Facebook page, display map directions, and more.
2D Barcode Content Should Provide Special Value for the Customer
It’s work to scan a barcode, so users have higher expectations as to what content they will find. We can reward the user with discounts, exclusive content, useful information or tips relevant to the code’s context.
[quote]Want to know the history of Deal’s award winning pier? You could just scan its QR code and it will take you to a page where you can find out about the architect and the history of previous Deal piers.[/quote]
Part of the Town team’s strategy will be to help local businesses take advantage of the huge variety of functions a QR code can accommodate.