QR Codes vs. Barcodes: Which is Better for Your Business Needs?
Jonathan Palley
May 7, 2023
Unless you’ve never been to a store in the last forty years, you are probably familiar with barcodes. They are ubiquitous in product packaging, checking-out in stores and in many warehouses around the world.
So, are QR codes the new bar code? Are QR codes going to replace bar codes? And what’s the difference?
The answer to these questions is both “yes” and “no”. To understand why, we’ve first got to do a bit of very simple math.
It’s All About Information Density
Let’s say we have a strip of wood that is 10 inches long by 1 inch wide. We draw squares for each inch then decide whether to paint each square either black or white. How many different squares did we paint? Well, that’s simple – our strip of wood was 10 inches long by 1 inch wide and each square was 1 inch - so we had 10 squares.
Now, let’s say we have a board of wood that is 10 inches by 10 inches square. Again, we draw 1 inch squares and decide to paint them either black or white. How many square do we need to paint time? If you remember back to middle-school math, the area of a square is calculated by multiplying the length of the two sides. 10 multiplied by 10 equals 100. So, we now have 100 squares to color.
2 dimensional objects can hold many more squares - or "information" - then one dimensional objects.
10 squares vs. 100 squares. That’s what makes QR codes work: A barcode is “1 dimensional”, like our strip of wood. A QR code is “2 dimensional” like our square of wood. 2 dimensional objects can hold many more squares - or “information” - then one dimensional objects.
The Limits of 1 Dimensional Barcodes
Because barcodes are only 1-dimensional, they can only hold a very limited amount of information. Thus, barcodes are only designed to hold numbers. This is why you often see a number printed under a barcode (which shows, in human readable form, the number the barcode encodes).
The number encoded in the barcode is usually something called a “UPC”, or a universal product code. This is a universal number that the manufacturer of a product gets for their product that uniquely identifies their product compared to every other product in the world.
When a retailer adds a product to their store, they usually enter into their database system the UPC of the product, the amount they are selling that product for and how many items they have in stock. Then, at checkout, when you scan that UPC their database looks up the price for that UPC and deducts that item from their inventory.
This all works great in a supermarket. But there is a problem for broader applications: for the barcode to be useful, it needs an accompanying database. While the supermarket has that database on their internal network, your cellphone does not. And thus, the usefulness of barcodes are really limited to “controlled” environments where the scanner is already loaded with information on what the barcode means.
QR Codes Take Over Where Barcodes Leave Off
Because QR codes are 2-dimensional they can hold a lot more information than a barcode. They don’t just hold a few numbers, but rather they can hold thousands of characters of text. Thus, a QR code can hold a web address (a URL) or other human and machine understandable identifiers. This leads to all the different uses of QR codes (many of which we discuss elsewhere in the QR Codes Unlimited Academy).
But the big idea is this: QR codes can stand-by themselves whereas barcodes require an accompanying database to be useful.
When to use Barcodes Over QR codes
The reality is QR codes can do everything a barcode can do, and a lot more. And it’s our belief that QR codes will, eventually, entirely replace barcodes.
QR codes will, eventually, entirely replace barcodes
The only place barcodes are still useful is if you need to use existing scanning infrustructure. For example, if you need to be scanned in an existing supermarket, you probably need to use a barcode. Or, if you need to use an already deployed handheld scanner.
But for new applications you really should use a QR code – EVEN if you are just using it to encode a UPC or nubmers. By building new infrustructre on QR codes instead of barcodes you are enabling a much more flexible and powerful future with no added cost.
If you’d like to discuss how to do specialized QR code deployments, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to help.
When Should You Use a Barcode?
Traditional barcodes remain extremely useful.
They are a good choice when you need to:
- Identify products at checkout
- Track inventory
- Manage warehouse operations
- Work with existing scanning infrastructure
- Integrate with established retail systems
- Encode a short identifier
If your system already depends on traditional barcode scanners and databases, there may be little reason to replace them simply for the sake of using QR codes.
When Should You Use a QR Code?
QR codes become particularly useful when you want to give people information or send them somewhere online.
Businesses can place QR codes on:
- Product packaging
- Business cards
- Restaurant menus
- Posters and signs
- Brochures
- Event materials
- Retail displays
- Product manuals
- Direct mail
- Promotional materials
For example, instead of printing an entire product manual on packaging, a company could place a QR code that takes customers to the latest version online.
A restaurant could use a QR code to provide a digital menu. A business could use one on a business card to share contact information. A marketer could connect a printed advertisement to a landing page.
The possibilities go well beyond product identification.
Can You Use a QR Code and Barcode Together?
Absolutely.
In fact, businesses do not necessarily have to choose between the two.
A product package could include a traditional barcode for retail checkout and a QR code for customer engagement.
The barcode can help the store identify the product, while the QR code can give the customer access to additional digital content.
This combination can be especially useful because each code serves a different purpose.
Why Dynamic QR Codes Are Especially Useful
There is another important distinction to understand: static and dynamic QR codes.
With a static QR code, the information encoded in the code is fixed. If you print a QR code that directly contains a URL and later change that URL, you generally need to create and print a new QR code.
A dynamic QR code works differently. The printed QR code can point to a destination that you can update later.
That means a business can print a QR code on packaging, signage, or marketing materials and change the linked content without replacing the physical QR code.
With QR Codes Unlimited, businesses can create QR codes for websites, PDFs, videos, contact information, and other digital experiences. Dynamic QR codes can also provide a more flexible way to manage campaigns after materials have already been printed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are QR codes considered barcodes?
Yes. A QR code is a type of 2D barcode. Unlike traditional 1D barcodes that use lines and spaces to encode information in one direction, QR codes use a two-dimensional grid. Other examples of 2D barcodes include Data Matrix and PDF417.
2. Can a QR code contain a UPC number?
Yes. A QR code can encode a UPC number as text or other appropriate data. However, putting a UPC number into a QR code does not automatically make it compatible with every retail checkout system. The scanner and software need to support the QR code format being used.
3. Do QR codes work without an internet connection?
It depends on what the QR code contains. A QR code can store information directly, such as text or contact details, and that information can be accessed without an internet connection. However, if the QR code directs users to a website, online document, or other web-based destination, an internet connection is generally required to access that content.
4. Can a QR code be used for product packaging?
Yes. QR codes are increasingly useful on product packaging because they can provide information that would be difficult to fit on a physical package. Businesses can use them to share product instructions, ingredient information, manuals, videos, warranty registration pages, promotions, and customer support resources.
