QR codes, the “quick response” codes that turn URLs into smartphone-scannable barcodes, have become an increasingly popular tool among marketers for bridging their offline and online content. NM Incite looked at over 130,000 messages in social media to understand how online discussion has evolved over the last few years. Online buzz about QR codes increased from .002 percent in June 2010 to .015 percent of all online conversation by March 2012 — more than QR alternatives such as “near field communication”, “augmented reality”, and “image recognition” combined. However, how consumers react to QR codes is mixed: sentiment among social media users remains polarized with 11 percent both in favor of QR codes and against.

Furthermore, an analysis of QR code-related tweets reveals that men are the most vocal demographic of the tool, generating 70 percent of messages compared to only 30 percent from women.