QR is short for "Quick Response." The purpose of a QR code used in Interactive packaging provides a quick and easy way to link physical objects (such as advertisements, labels, price tags, and products themselves) to the virtual world, so consumers can access more information about that product online.

Considered as the most popular form of a 2-Dimensional Bar Code, a QR code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background – kind of resembling a crossword puzzle. For more QR code samples, click here. click here.

Users with a smartphone (i.e., a camera phone with internet access) equipped with the correct QR code reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, or open a web page in the phone's mobile internet browser. The diagram below illustrates the process:

QR codes are of particular interest to marketers, giving them the ability to measure consumer response rates with a high degree of precision, allowing for easier ROI calculation to help evaluate marketing programs. Reports of QR code interaction can also identify the geography of users, which can be very valuable to marketers in gauging the performance of a promotion among certain demographics.

QR codes themselves are easy to get, and typically free to register. What makes QR codes particularly effective is the information they deliver, and how that information is formatted (typically as a mobile web page) to engage the user and encourage interaction.

For product vendors and retailers, QR codes are used to enhance the shopping experience. In addition to more detailed product information and images, QR codes can also deliver coupons, videos, recipes, location maps, games, price comparisons, and more.