Following the China
Digital Marketing Group on LinkedIN, I came across one discussion about QR code
a few days ago. Then I suddenly realized that I have not scanned a single one
since I came back to U.S. after my summer vacation in my hometown---Shanghai, China. When I was in
Shanghai, I used QR code very frequently. I would add my friends on WeChat by
scanning their QR code ID. I downloaded apps and requested subscription and push service by scanning QR code on posters, computer screens
and advertising boards on subways. Every time I came to a restaurant, the first thing I would do was to scan the QR code on the small advertising board stood on the
table to follow the official account of the restaurant on WeChat. And then I could get
coupons, free drinks or discounts as a first-time customer. I even made
payments by scanning the small square which would directly connect me to the
interface of AliPay ( an app like Paypal). All I need to do then is to confirm
the payment amount and click "Pay", without typing in any digits. But since I came back to U.S. in late July, I only used QR code for
two or three times to board the airplanes.
After doing some
research, I find that there are two big reasons pushing up the popularity of QR
code in China. One is WeChat and the other is the growing number of Chinese mobile internet users.
In September 2012,
Huateng Ma, the CEO of Tencent (company that owns WeChat), emphasized the huge
potential of QR code in O2O (online to offline) and the company's strategy to
push QR code on China's Internet Conference. Later, the QR code scanner
function was built into WeChat. Being the most popular social network and an
all-purpose mobile platform in China, WeChat definitely promoted the QR code's usage and
commonality as users can now interact with the various functions
such as making payment, getting information push service etc. in WeChat
with those little squares so easily. It is more personalized and
customer-oriented. You don't have to type in anything. You won't
be bothered by switching among different apps or webpages. The
high usability and network externality brought by WeChat make QR code a
mania in China.
The other powerful
hand is the huge population of mobile internet users. According to the China
Internet Network Information Center's (CNNIC) 35th "China Internet
Development Statistics Report", by December 2014,
about 85.8% of internet users, which is about 557 million, connect the Internet through mobile devices. And among the 1.29 billion mobile users, by
February 2015, about 48.8% of them are mobile broadband (3G and 4G) subscribers
(Data via Sina Tech). Network externality has grown exponentially along
with the widespread coverage of Internet and increasing number of mobile internet users, which
has made QR code a very powerful and involving tool in people's life.
Finally, back to the question
why QR code has not become popular in U.S. I think a key reason is that
none of the popular social network apps in U.S. has incorporated or emphasized the QR code
scanner function. There are some QR code scanner apps available
in Android market and IOS App Store. But as a separated application, the
most exciting power of QR code---easing interactions with various other
platforms, is limited. Breaking the barrier to network externality is important
for QR code to become popular in the U.S. market.
Reference:
http://www.cac.gov.cn/2015-02/03/c_1114237273.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/world/china-internet-growth-2014/
http://www.cac.gov.cn/2015-02/03/c_1114237273.htm
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