Research company comScore has found that 14 million mobile users in the US scanned a QR or bar code on their mobile device in June.
A QR ("Quick Response") code is a specific matrix bar code (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by smartphones.
comScore released results of a study on mobile QR and bar code scanning.
The study found that in June 2011, about 6.2% of the total mobile audience in the US scanned a QR or bar code on their mobile device.
The study also found that a mobile user that scanned a QR or bar code during the month was more likely to be male (60.5% of code scanning audience), skew toward ages 18-34 (53.4%) and have a household income of $100k or above (36.1%).
The most popular source of a scanned QR code was a printed magazine or newspaper, with nearly half scanning QR codes from this source.
Product packaging was the source of QR code scanning for 35.3% of the audience, while 27.4% scanned a code from a website on a PC and 23.5% scanned codes from a poster/flyer/kiosk.
The study found that users are most likely to scan codes found in newspapers/magazines and on product packaging and do so while at home or in a store.
Among mobile users who scanned a QR or bar code on their mobile devices in June, 58.0% did so from their home, while 39.4% did so from a retail store and 24.5% did so from a grocery store.
Nearly 20% scanned a QR code while at work, while 12.6% did so outside or on public transit and 7.6% did so while in a restaurant, found the study.
comScore senior vice-president of mobile Mark Donovan said QR codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can effectively be integrated into existing media and marketing campaigns to help reach desired consumer segments.
Donovan said, "For marketers, understanding which consumer segments scan QR codes, the source and location of these scans, and the resulting information delivered, is crucial in developing and deploying campaigns that successfully utilize QR codes to further brand engagement."
