From pandemic essential to the new normal: How QR codes rose to prominence

The COVID-19 pandemic gave black-and-white-speckled QR codes their moment in the spotlight—one many hospitality industry professionals predicted would fade in the coming years.

To better understand how QR codes rose to popularity, Flowcode analyzed data from Insider Intelligence and information from news coverage and industry reports to identify why QR code use is sticking around like never before.

The QR code—short for "quick response," based on how much information it can store compared to a standard bar code—has its origins in Japan. The technology was invented in 1994 by Denso Wave, now one of the largest automotive parts manufacturers in the world. Primarily used for logistics at the time, the company has since used the codes to track the production and movement of its auto parts through the supply chain.

Today, the technology is seemingly omnipresent in certain industries like hospitality, thanks in part to the massive business disruptions and public health guidance after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses scrambled to enforce social distancing and touchless interactions, and academics believe the pandemic forced humans to adopt new tech like video conferencing and QR codes at an increased rate of 10 times the usual uptake.

"If COVID-19 did not happen, some technologies would be adopted in the next decade, not now," said Ali Iskender, a researcher studying QR code adoption at the University of South Carolina.

As the pandemic wore on, leaving the house for food or entertainment almost certainly means using QR codes still. By September 2020, 47% of consumers in the U.S. and U.K. agreed or strongly agreed that they saw more QR codes in public places, according to one survey of more than 3,000 consumers.

But even though it has permeated business operations today, customers are more open to using QR code technology in certain settings than others. Quick-service restaurants and more casual establishments have become a perfect match for customers, whereas diners seem to expect more traditional service from human workers at higher-end dining establishments, researchers have found.

Aiding the uptick in adoption are major smartphone manufacturers deciding to include QR code reader capabilities in their native camera applications. Apple did so in 2017 with iOS 11, and Android has included the feature since Android 8 launched the same year. Before then, a smartphone user needed to download a specific third-party application to interpret the code. But afterward, simply pointing the camera at a code in public has opened the technology up to even more users who may have never gone so far as to seek out additional software.