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Nielsen found that – not terribly shockingly – the way in which the smartphones were being used and whether QR codes were scanned had a great deal to do with what the person was hoping to buy and where he or she was shopping.

the most popular place for mobile shoppers to use digital coupons was in grocery stores.

41 percent said that they’d used their devices for those discounts at grocery stores, while another 41 percent said that they’d used them in department stores, and 39 percent said that they had redeemed coupons with their smartphones at clothing stores.

“A year and a half ago, mobile users tended to spend considerably more time — an average of 64 minutes per day — using the Web browser on their phone or tablet. By comparison, they spent only 43 minutes per day in apps. Now mobile users now spend an average of 94 minutes per day using apps, but just 72 minutes browsing the mobile Web…”

“In March, the web browser accounted for just 18.5 percent of time spent online among US smart-phone users. Mobile apps accounted for the rest. Now we know why Safari for iOS capabilities advance so sparingly: Apple sees it as irrelevant. Stated differently: Safari is to mobile what Internet Explorer 6 was to the desktop 10 years ago. Apps matter more to both developers.”

Youth marketing agency Archival Youth Marketing have conducted a survey of over 500 students on 24 college campuses across the US to find out what they think about QR Codes. Of the students surveyed 81% owned a smartphone and 80% had previously seen a QR code. 21% of the students successfully scanned a QR Code when shown an example and 75% of the students said they are “Not Likely” to scan a QR code in the future. (The infographic below is reproduced with the express permission of Archival)

Despite many consumers not knowing what to do when coming across a QR Code a whopping 86% of marketers said they plan to use QR Codes sometime in the future.

newspapers and magazines are where most QR Codes are being found and scanned (35%) followed by on packages (18%) and on websites (13%). Surprisingly few were scanned from billboards (11%) or a piece of direct mail (11%).

The majority of these people scanned a code to receive some kind of discount on a product or service. The study found that 18% of consumers scanned codes to purchase products

Those that did not scan a QR code noted that they were unaware of what the codes were or how to use them.

With many consumers still unfamiliar with the codes, marketing campaigns using them may not be as successful as they could be. Companies interested in using the codes for their campaigns may need to take steps to ensure that consumers know how to scan the codes.

1. Define your goal.

2. Optimize for mobile viewing.

3. Size matters.

Where your visitors are coming from – very important if you’re targeting a specific audience.How your visitors found your website – this is very important for determining which of your efforts are paying off. It shows if visitors found your site directly, through a referral from another website (ex: Twitter, Facebook), or from search engines.Web browsers used by your visitors – knowing which web browsers your visitors use allows you to know which browsers you should be focusing on.What keywords were used by visitors in the search engines to get to your website – this is very crucial for SEO. Knowing which keywords people are searching for to get to your site determines if you are on the right track.

Giving the consumer an option to scan a QR code which leads them to a website that is not optimized for the device they use to scan it is like sending someone with a broken arm in to get a full-body physical. People use QR codes to take action directly, so don’t make them jump through hoops, pinching, zooming and navigating through a messy desktop site. Give them what they want: a mobile experience.

the QR codes that perform far better are the ones that offer consumers a benefit for scanning.  This means providing a discount, special offer or inclusion in some sort of exclusive program in order to provide customers a return on investment for their time. Of course, clever marketers can find plenty of ways to provide a reward for scanning while still integrating plenty of branding as well.

If you haven’t yet heard of Apple’s Siri, a feature of the iPhone 4S, you may not be aware of how this new technology could transform Search Engine Optimization, especially on the local level.

What can the tools of sales 2.0 do for your small business? Well, if you or your sales team are already effective, the Web tools offered by Sales 2.0 will likely make you better. But be warned. These tools will not turn a bad sales team into a good one. Proven techniques must exist behind the technology.

Online marketing can be effective even for local business and such a campaign need not be expensive if set up correctly.