14M Americans scanned QR codes & bar codes in June

But who's scanning, what are they scanning, and where are they doing it?

Ever wonder how effective QR and bar codes are when it comes to spreading word of your goods and services around town?  As it turns out, there is a specific segment of the population who is more likely to scan QR and bar codes than other mobile users, and that segment tends to skew male, between the ages of 18 and 34, with annual household incomes of $100K or more.

The data comes from comScore, which reported Friday that more than 14 million Americans scanned QR and bar codes in the month of June, representing 6.2% of the total mobile audience.  Of those who scanned, 60.5% were male and 53.4% were between the ages of 18 and 34 (36.8% were between the ages of 25 and 34). 

Interestingly, those with household incomes of $100K or more were more likely to scan, accounting for 36.1% of those who scanned a QR or bar code in June.  ComScore measured household income in $25,000 increments, and other income demographics were evenly represented: 18% came from homes earning $25K to $50K a year, 19% came from homes earning $50-75K, and 18% came from homes earning $75-100K.

So the next question is, where are these users most likely to find the codes that they scan?  Nearly half scanned codes straight out of a printed magazine or newspaper, while 35.3% said they scanned codes off of product packaging.  Some 23% said that they scanned a code off of a flyer or kiosk, and only 13.4% said they scanned off of a business card or brochure.

And the vast majority said that they did their scanning at home, representing 58% of those surveyed, while 39.4% said they did so at a retail store, and 24.5% did so at a grocery store.

“QR codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can effectively be integrated into existing media and marketing campaigns to help reach desired consumer segments,” said Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of mobile, in a statement. “For marketers, understanding which consumer segments scan QR codes, the source and location of these scans, and the resulting information delivered, is crucial in developing and deploying campaigns that successfully utilize QR codes to further brand engagement.”

Image source: milkandcuddles.com