Are Image Recognition Software a Threat to QR Codes?

Over the years, there have been a lot of technologies that were introduced and hyped as QR code killers. There was the snap tag, which is a circular tag that worked just like a QR code, which you can snap using a special app. And then there is near-field communication, which basically does what QR codes do, just as long as you have NFC capability and are close enough to a smart tag.

Not only that, there are also several different barcode formats vying for the attention of marketers and consumers alike.

Now, we have image recognition also competing with QR codes. Kooaba has been working on different image recognition software for the past six years and they have recently launched a new app they call “Shortcut.” Shortcut allows smartphone owners to take pictures of anything and everything and the app would give them more information about it.

We think that while this is a great use of technology, it would be very hard to use this for marketing purposes. For one, it will be very difficult to specify where an image would take your customers. One of the app’s strong points is that it will allow people to add comments to whatever they find about the picture they have just snapped and share it with their friends. They will also be able to add their own photos to the mix.

Although image recognition is a great technology and it takes away the barriers of design, QR codes are a clear winner in this one. For one, QR codes are much more widely recognized, people see a QR code and they know what to do. They already have an app for it, and if they don’t, they can easily download one.

Image recognition would be difficult to control. And if there is one thing that marketers do not like it’s not having control.

So, yeah, it would seem like QR codes are here to stay.