Everything seems to be about NFC these days, but when there are more phones on the market that are unable to scan NFC cards compared to those that can, it’s catching on pretty slowly. However, most phones (if not all smartphones) can read QR codes with their built-in cameras, but it’s not exactly at the pinnacle of popularity.
However, the folks over at Hipscan plans to change that. The company has just launched its new service called Hipscan that aims to bridge the online and offline identity of a company or a person with the use of QR codes.
In case you didn’t know, QR codes are Quick Response codes that resemble boxes with even more boxes within (resembling very abstract pixel art) and can be scanned and deciphered with phones (with the use of an app). The code usually leads people to a website (in some cases an app store) where they can find out more about what they scanned with their phones.
When users sign up for a Hipscan account, they are assigned a QR code which can then be personalized to suit their needs. If they want the code to link to a website, or their Facebook/Twitter profile they can. Users can also set up a Hipscan profile page to link people who scan the code to more than just one page.
You might be wondering – why not just use a regular QR code generator to do the same thing? Well, the good thing about Hipscan is that you can customize what the code links to whenever you want. Let’s say you shut your blog down or change its URL, but on your business cards or printed flyers, the QR code is still there pointing to the old URL – there’s nothing you can do about it. However, with Hipscan, when users scan the same code – it can be redirected to the new site, and you won’t have to deal with the hassle of reprinting new merch/material with an updated QR code. Now that’s what I call useful.
The best part about Hipscan? It’s free. Hipscan is also partnered with Social Print Studio, which allows users to print out merchandise featuring your QR code. This means you can have shirts and stickers with your QR code on them if you wish. Head over to the Hipscan website to find out more or sign up for the service.