QR codes on Pineapples?

QR code on a Pineapple?

Recently, I was discussing the relevancy and application of QR codes with a community of entrepreneurs and small business owners. The response was almost always the same: The idea of a QR code is fantastic but the application of QR codes usually falls flat. (Read those discussions here, here, and here).

So, last week when my husband came home from the grocery store with a pineapple, I noted that it had a big tag with a QR code prominently displayed.  As a consumer, I find the use of extra materials to be a waste of natural resources. But as a business owner and solutions strategist, I think the intention is spot on but the delivery falls flat- BIG TIME.

Why this QR code fails:

Adding increased packaging to products does not add value for the consumer. Adding the label increases the overall cost of the pineapple for the customer because those packaging dollars have to come from somewhere. Best placed QR codes do not add to the cost of marketing. 

The label  has a call to action (scan the code) to get recipes, etc. Wouldn't it be smarter to invest in an SEO specialist to ensure that when someone searches for pineapple recipes, they find this company at the top of the list?

Moreover, it didn’t work! I tried scanning this QR code on multiple devices, using different scanning programs over a period of several days. It was just a dead code.

If the QR code had worked properly, do you think this is a good application?