Near-Field Communication and QR Codes… Who Wins?

Over the past two days, BeQRious.com has added our voice to the debate between which technology is better: Near-field communication vs. QR codes. We’ve seen NFC winning the first two rounds while QR codes took the next two rounds.

It is a tie, so who gets to win? Here are two more arguments.

When it comes to hardware, it seems that QR codes may have the upper hand. Right now, all smartphones come with a camera, while a QR code scanner app is readily available for free at all app stores, if it does not come with the smartphone itself. That’s all you need to get your QR codes campaign running. NFC-enabled devices, on the other hand, have been slow to be launched. While it is true that NFC-enable phones are being announced left and right, some of these NFC phones are actually optional. This means that your operator would need to order the phone manufacturer to specifically have the NFC chips inside the phones. What’s more, in some instances you would also need to manage your NFC data via apps. This makes it more cumbersome to set up an NFC phone.

ROUND 5: QR codes win!

Given time, however, people will know what NFC is and how to use it. They will get devices that are NFC-enabled, even if they absolutely have not heard of it before. So in time, the distinct advantages that QR codes have will be minimized. This is the reason why NFC and QR codes are almost always pitted against one another because the technologies are very similar. Both are very flexible and useful, and it makes life convenient for everyone!

ROUND 6: NFC wins!

So Who Wins the NFC vs. QR codes Debate?

So we’re back to the question of who wins the NFC vs. QR codes debate? The answer should be simple: we do. Businesses can take advantage of both technologies to bridge the online and the offline world, making it easier for them to market and sell their products and get paid. Consumers, on the other hand, can make informed decisions about their purchases almost instantly. Both technologies can also help give consumers a better shopping experience.

There is no reason to pick one over the other. You can certainly live with both NFC and QR codes. Take a look at the Japanese experience: In Japan, both NFC and QR codes are widely used. Sometimes they go hand-in-hand, making it possible to cast a wider net as far as your customers are concerned. It is not an either-or situation.