AndyMcGowan

Because of the need to incentivise participation in making it a more wide-spread technology, leaving QR code reviews has been made into somewhat of a gaming industry project.

Cell phone users can leave their reviews the normal way, as they would if they were using a full-sized PC, by signing into their Google profile/GMail account and searching for the retail store they wish to review under Google Maps or Google Local Business listings. Smartphone users can also go the same route, even going as far as downloading apps specifically built to facilitate the process of completing business reviews, such as the Google Maps app for iPhone devices.

Focus will shift back to QR codes though and their use to swiftly and easily leave retail store reviews. Some available QR code reader apps for various Smartphone devices include:

Barcode Scanner, for the Android platform (don’t let the “barcode” bit of the name deceive you, it is indeed a QR code reader), RedLaser for iPhone devices and the likes of QR Code Scanner Pro and Scanlife Barcode Reader for BlackBerry devices. These are just few as there are loads more on offer, with the list growing almost daily.

Now, because of the detailed and extensive information which can be stored on a QR code, retail stores, which have an incentive to encourage their shoppers to leave reviews about their service (search engine rankings and increased visibility), try to make it as easy as possible for those shoppers to leave reviews. A growingly popular method of drawing reviews is printing one or more QR codes on the shopping bag itself, after which a quick scan (taking a picture and running it through the app) with the Smartphone will lead you straight to the Google Local Business Profile page, where you can simply log in with your Google account details and complete a 3-5 step review process to complete the review.

Another popular method is that of printing multiple QR codes on the shopping bag, with each of those codes accompanied by a brief description which depicts the shopper’s choice of review parameters. For example, QR code #1 on the shopping bag may represent a five-star rating, with all that’s left of the user (after being led to the Google Local Business Profile) being to log in with their Google details and possibly complete a section which requires a few words (description).

Quick Response (QR) codes are matrix barcode types of pixilated graphics, originally developed as a quick indexing (information storage and retrieval) system in the Japanese motor industry (parts assembly line tracking). The open-source nature of the QR standard has opened up a world of opportunity for retail store owners, with the ability of users to leave reviews one of the many uses of QR codes.

Since QR codes can store a lot of information in the pixilated matrix barcode graphic, such as complete URLs, website login information and algorithms which lead mobile phone shoppers directly to easy payment processes, retail store owners are embracing more ways to use QR codes than for the process of soliciting reviews from customers.