Targeting

Targeting is a method of narrowing down users by conditions such as age, gender, region, interests, and behavior history, and delivering ads and content to the most effective group. In contrast to mass advertising, which sends the same message to everyone, it improves the efficiency of ad spending and the conversion rate by providing information matched to the attributes of the recipient.

With QR codes, the physical placement itself becomes a means of targeting. A QR code placed in a high-end restaurant and a QR code placed in a student cafeteria are scanned by fundamentally different groups of users. The fact that the choice of placement works directly as targeting is a strength unique to QR codes that digital advertising does not have.

With a dynamic QR code, the content after the scan can also be targeted. The redirect destination can be switched dynamically based on scan location (geofencing), time of day (different menus at lunchtime and dinnertime), device (sending iOS users and Android users to different app stores), and number of scans (different offers for the first scan and for the second and later scans).