In manufacturing and retail, keeping track of inventory and sales is crucial, but can also be time-consuming and prone to error without the right resources. Custom QR codes can be a powerful productivity tool to save time and money and increase accuracy. Distinct from barcodes, custom QR codes offer features that support the pace of business like never before.
Comparing Custom QR Code Labels to Barcodes
The time-tested barcode contains scannable data that has many applications. But it can only hold information horizontally. QR codes contain information both horizontally and vertically, adding up to a lot more data than can be stored behind a barcode. Further, custom QR codes can support a transactional technology called “blockchain” which allows each interaction to be timestamped, allowing for valuable traceability across the supply chain. It’s handy for any industry and indispensable in for regulated products such as pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and food.
QR Code Data
Using a pattern of small black and white squares arranged around a few reference points, QR codes can be scanned from a variety of angles and can even incorporate other visual elements such as text. This allows for some artistic expression and helpful visual information in the consumer space, but also supports more utilitarian uses in manufacturing and logistics.
Because QR codes support more information than barcodes, they can hold hyperlinks providing a wealth of detail and assistance to users. They are mobile-friendly and scannable by consumers and can be used to direct shoppers to comparison websites or purchasers to user manuals (for example).
The End of Barcodes?
QR codes are certainly an advance over linear barcodes, but that doesn’t mean barcodes are dead. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of barcodes are their comparative scannability. QR codes must be scanned within a few inches (unless blown up to huge sizes). Barcodes, on the other hand, can often be scanned for dozens of feet away.
For internal business use, barcodes remain very useful. And a number of barcode standards still reign supreme in a variety of industries, including UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN for consumer products in Europe, ISBN for books, and the U.S. Postal Service POSTNET.
An Ideal Partnership
As each code has its best uses and benefits, using both in partnership makes the most sense in business today. Harness the power of custom QR codes and barcodes to be well-positioned today and into the future.