Recently, I was dining with a Japanese corporate client and asked them what new was on their phone. Technically, I didn’t ask personally. Because I’ve found that Japan is always interesting when you ask this question, I say “as usual”. This was not an isolated case, but it did provide some background.
It is important to note that Japan has over 100 million users of 3G, which makes up nearly 80% of its population. Many of these users are using QR codes (Quick Response), which are two-dimensional barcodes. Any mobile device can read QR codes with the right reader software and a camera. QR codes are everywhere in Japan, including on billboards, websites, and store windows. They are used by the Japanese government, who stamps QR codes on passports to indicate visa status. They were first seen at a Tokyo trade show, where almost every stand had one.
QR codes can store up 7089 numeric characters and 4296 alphanumeric ones. This compares to 20-30 (depending upon the standard) ascii characters in a traditional one-dimensional bar code.
You can read more about QR codes Nokia here’s a quick explanation and some helpful links.
Let’s get back to our dinner conversation. My client, who is clearly a responsible consumer, told me that her local supermarket started using QR code labels for fresh produce. The QR reader software is enabled on my client’s cell phone. She takes a photo of the label, and then connects to a website with all details about the supplier.