[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the past year, QR codes have become one of the world’s most go-to wireless tools to obtain and give out information with one scan. Depending on how QR codes are used in your country, Africa utilizes the use of QR codes in some of its noteworthy industries.
According to Statista’s recent study, Africa, deemed as the second largest continent by territory size, has a total of 203 million active internet users during the last quarter of 2020. And through these numbers, this means that Africa is getting a hang of technology into their daily living.
Because of that, many industries in Africa are adopting the use of technology to carry out a simplified means to connect people offline towards their online opportunities.
With different technological tools that can help them make their vision a reality, the use of QR code technology becomes an effective tool to use.
What is a QR code?
A QR (Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional type of barcode that stores data with the use of advanced data encoding systems and error correction programs. It was first used in 1994 as an accessories identifier in car assembly to fasten the process.
Today, tech developers improve the code’s coding elements and can store more data types aside from URL and text. And through that, QR codes are incorporated in different industries to simplify complicated processes like typing lengthy URLs and searching for the right app to download.
How QR codes are used in Africa?
Since QR codes are can be integrated into any means, Africa extends the use of them in four notable industries.
1. Education
With Africa’s take on improving its education means for the 21st-century learners, the continent especially its southern region is integrating the use of QR codes to bridge learners from static learning materials to dynamic ones by scanning them.
The QR codes are attached in learning materials as a gateway for additional learning content like videos, exercises for students to learn more. The common QR code solutions Africa employ for education are URL QR code, a video QR Code, and a PDF QR Code that can be scanned on a smartphone.
2. Health
To slow down the spread of the Coronavirus in the community, the African health industry integrates the use of QR codes to campaign a faster contact tracing means by embedding contactless forms, or tracing into the code.
Aside from utilizing the use of them for contact tracing means, these codes can act as contactless methods for food ordering and appointment reservations like menu and reservation QR codes.
3. Marketing
To catch up with today’s current marketing approaches made by marketers outside the continent, Africa’s marketing industry is integrating the use of QR codes into their print media promotions to measure how many people take interest in their advertisements in terms of the scans they acquire and sort how many of them turn into paying customers.
Aside from the print media promotions, marketers also utilize the use of QR codes to store coupons and freebies that help increase their contact lists for the next promotions they are planning.
4. Payment
Since the start of May 2020, Ghana, an African country introduces the use of QR codes as a payment mode to promote a safe and convenient shopping experience for its people during the COVID-19 outbreak. Because of its introduction as a payment mode, many African digital payment apps follow the use of QR codes to transfer funds from the buyer to the seller with one scan.
Conclusion:
Since the codes deployed in East Asia down to the Western regions, QR codes have indeed reshaped our means of getting and transferring data.
Because of the convenience, these 2D barcodes give to people, integrating them into many complicated processes allows Africa to simplify people’s interaction with technology.
And for Africa to continue and expand its QR code utilization, they can always tap the use of a free QR code generator with logo online to unlock more possibilities and drive the future of unpacking data.
