以随机模式排列的一群微型正方形的二维图像 - 当您听到“ QR码”一词时，这可能是您形成的心理图片。您可以在物理和虚拟空间上看到QR码，通常由餐馆，酒店和购物中心等企业使用。您可能已经用手机的相机扫描了一些。
But what exactly are QR codes? In this article, we’ll do a deep dive into the basics of the QR code.
QR码如何工作？
什么是QR码？
Short for Quick Response Code, a QR code is a type of matrix barcode that looks like a jumble of tiny dots and squares within a square grid. When you use a phone or a scanning device to read a QR code, you can instantly access the encoded information, which is why it is termed “quick response.” QR codes may look simple and unassuming, but they can store a wide range of information.
QR码是由Masahiro Hara开发的，并于1994年由Toyota子公司Denso Wave于1994年发行，以减轻汽车零件制造过程中的流程负担。尽管条形码在日本被广泛使用，但它们有局限性。具体而言，条形码只能容纳大约20个字母数字字符。另外，所使用的设备必须从正确角度扫描代码才能读取信息。
Meanwhile, QR codes are capable of storing thousands of alphanumeric characters, including Kanji characters. QR codes are also readable both horizontally and vertically.
QR codes were meant for the manufacturing industry at first. But with the rise of mobile devices, QR codes have steadily risen in popularity and have been used not only in industries such as retail, food and business, and entertainment but also by entrepreneurs and corporations to promote their business. In addition, developers of the QR code chose not to enforce patent rights, as they wanted the public to use the technology without worrying about legal or financial implications.
How Does a QR Code Work?
要读取QR码，您必须使用扫描仪。带有QR扫描技术的照相手机将可以做到。在某些情况下，您需要下载一个特殊应用以扫描QR码。通过QR码指向或悬停扫描设备的镜头，可以读取存储在QR代码中的数据。
Primary Types of QR Codes
There are 2 types of QR codes.
静态QR码
In a static QR code, the information is hard-coded. Meaning, once data is stored in the code, it can’t be edited, overwritten, updated, or deleted.
If you’re a merchant, advertiser, or business owner, you can use static QR codes for one-time PR or marketing events. You can store permanent information such as employee numbers, product descriptions, text messages, promo codes, payment URLs, and Wi-Fi passwords in a static QR code. Every time a customer scans a static QR code, they always see the same information.
Dynamic QR Code
A dynamic QR code stores editable and trackable information. Once you launch a dynamic QR code, you can easily update or change the information it holds any time you want without having to reprint the code.
您可以使用动态QR码本周显示您的Facebook页面，然后下周将其链接到您的Instagram个人资料。您可以使用动态QR码的另一种方法是用于营销季节性促销计划。例如，您可以使用单个QR码链接到黑色星期五销售的折扣优惠券页面。当报价结束时，您可以将其替换为指向圣诞节假期销售页面的链接。
QR码的解剖结构
QR码似乎是黑白棋盘。但是，QR码中的块不带有线性方向排列的相同形状的正方形，并以不同的大小和随机模式排列。而不是随机的，而是这种布置取决于代码中的数据，以及用于创建QR代码的其他组件。
这是QR码的七个基本组件：
Finder or Positioning Detection Pattern
These are 3 identical squares on the bottom left and top right and left corners of the QR code. They allow the decoder or scanner to detect the correct orientation of the code quickly and accurately.
Alignment Pattern
这种图案看起来类似于Finder图案，但中央有一个较小的黑色正方形。它有助于扫描仪确定QR码的方向，尤其是在曲线空间上或代码更大的情况下扭曲图像的情况下。
Timing Pattern
这些交替的白色和黑色模块通常形成垂直和水平线。它们表示编码数据的大小。
版本模式
The version patterns are found beside the positioning markings. They show what type of QR code is used in the coding process. There are 40 types of QR codes, but codes 1 to 7 are the ones that are commonly used.
Format Information
格式信息位于定位模式周围，包含数据，例如所选的数据掩码模式和代码的误差耐受性。代码的这一部分允许更轻松的扫描。
Data and Error Correction Keys
This area contains all the encoded data. The error correction capability of the QR code allows data to be decoded even if the code is dirty or partially damaged.
Quiet Zones
本节是围绕代码的空白。这对于告诉解码器或扫描设备是QR码的一部分至关重要。
How Much Information Can a QR Code Store?
单个QR码最多可以存储3千字节的信息。它可以容纳7,089位数字或4,296个字母数字字符，包括汉字和卡纳字符，标点符号和特殊字符。
While this doesn’t sound much, it’s enough to put your marketing efforts into overdrive. The primary purpose of a QR code is to make it easier for you to reach out to your target audience. A QR code doesn’t need to be loaded with too much information to achieve this.
如果您正在促进网站，则只需复制paste url即可。如果您想共享有关要销售的产品的信息，则可以提供网页的链接。如果您提供折扣和促销 - 您只需要放置目标链接，也是如此。
Website URLs and landing pages rarely reach a hundred characters, so the 4,296-character limit is more than enough to accommodate the data you intend to store in the QR code.
Below are the types of information that you can store in a QR code.
- Plain text (announcements, greetings, invitations)
- Contact information (personal/business addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, mobile phone numbers
- Link to social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube)
- 付款链接（PayPal，比特币）
- Calendar events
- Website URLs
- 链接到应用程序
- 地理位置
How Do You Create a QR Code?
在几个简单的步骤中，您可以使用桌面或手机浏览器生成QR码。
转到QR码生成器网站
If you Google-search “free QR code generator”, you will find several websites, like Beaconstac and QR Code Monkey, that can help you create a QR code. If you’re a Shopify merchant, you can generate QR codes for your brand via the Shopcode feature.
Free QR code generators are ideal for personal use or if you’re only starting a small business and you want to market your brand. Do keep in mind that free QR generator apps only create codes but don’t offer other services like tracking or data analytics.
But if you plan on rolling out wide-scale marketing campaigns and you want to monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns, you can use a paid platform.
输入数据并自定义QR码
选择免费QR发生器应用后,将be asked to encode the data you want to make a QR code for. You can enter the URL of your website, the webpage that displays the offer you want to promote, or the link to your social media profile.
QR Generator应用程序提供了基本的黑白QR码设计，但大多数提供了自定义QR码设计以匹配品牌的选项。如果您希望使QR码更具吸引力或与您的品牌颜色相匹配。一些应用程序还可以添加声音，动画或位置图。以下是自定义QR码的示例。
Source:blog.beaconstac.com
测试QR码
Once you’ve entered all the relevant information, the app automatically generates the QR code for that content. You can now test the QR code to check if it leads to the destination link you’ve entered or contains the information you want to display to people. Always remember that testing is an important step, especially if you’re using a static QR code because once you download the code, you won’t be able to make any changes to it.
下载QR码
If the QR code works as intended, you can now download it as an image file. You can either share it online or add it to your marketing collateral, such as brochures, posters, catalogs, and outdoor signages.
为您的业务使用QR码有什么好处？
QR codes allow you to engage with your customers in a whole new way. If you haven’t tapped QR codes yet for your business, here are reasons you should consider using them now.
QR码易于使用
Instead of typing your website’s URL or searching for the Facebook page or Instagram profile, the consumer can simply scan the QR code to be directed to your website or social media. This method eliminates typing errors, which may prevent your target audience from reaching your website or, worse, lead them to a different webpage.
QR码可让您节省成本
Instead of allocating a large portion of your marketing budget to print promotions like banners, billboards, brochures, and leaflets, you can use QR codes instead. QR codes tie your online media to print media, so it would be easier to share rich content without spending a lot on printing costs.
Let’s say you have an online shop, and you sell computer hardware. If you use a catalog to market your products, you have to put all the information, like the product description, technical specifications, and other relevant details of each product, on paper. Imagine how many pages that would take. But if you use a QR code, you can just put the URL of your online shop and your customers would be able to view the products you sell.
QR codes scans provide insight into your marketing strategy
The number of scans generated by your QR code gives you valuable information on how effective your marketing campaigns are. As mentioned above, paid platforms offer analytics services that track and measure data such as the number of scans you get at a particular time, what devices people use to scan your QR code, and from which areas around the world you get the scans.
With these statistics, you can tweak your marketing strategy and retarget leads. Do note that QR tracking only applies to dynamic QR codes.
QR codes allow contact-free payments
使用QR码的付款交易不仅适合您的客户，而且对您也很方便。在线或通过实体商店接受付款要比让客户使用现金或信用卡付款要快得多，更不用说更安全了。这样，收银员就不必手动键入产品价格，这不仅减轻了他们的负担，而且可以最大程度地减少编码错误。由于客户只需要扫描代码即可付款，也可以避免长行。
