Our VP of Marketing & Digital Strategy, Charlie Browning was recently interviewed by Jason Buch of the San Antonio Express News about mobile marketing and QR code coupons in an article titled “Smart phones also coupon collectors.”

The article points out several ways for businesses to use QR codes to raise customer engagement via coupons and connecting the physical world with the mobile digital one. From product information available on mobile at the point of purchase, to signing customers up to SMS or email opt-in lists, QR codes are very flexible and useful.

Software to generate QR codes is free, with a very useful website to make your own is here. One of the key steps for wider adoption of QR codes is the distribution of QR software for mobile phones, not all consumers have the readers yet. Here is a list of QR code apps for most feature phones and smartphones.

Another great strategy for businesses that really see QR codes as a big impact on their business is to provide branded QR code readers for their customers with additional app capabilities, such as company news, specials and store location information.
A similar but competing technology is Microsoft TAG, a color code that works almost identically to QR codes, but is also standard on recent Microsoft phones.

There are some great case studies in their TAG Showcase section here, so you can get a sense of some ways businesses are currently using TAG to connect with customers. One of my favorite uses is with print media, Golf Digest is using TAGs to connect their articles to online videos, with a wave of your phone.

Here is a Microsoft Tag code with our phone number in it, try it and give us a call!

How can your business use QR codes or TAG to make it easier for customers to connect with you?