QR codes: Here to stay

If your dealership isn’t using QR codes to connect with customers and improve their shopping experience, it’s time to start.

By 2014, more people will use the Internet on their phones than their desktop computers, according to Morgan Stanley Research. With an increasing number of people taking their online presence mobile, many retailers are doing the same using Quick Response (QR) codes.

QR codes are two-dimensional codes that, when scanned by a smartphone, bring the consumer to a specific website. They can be placed on any surface, such as a boat, a sign in your showroom or an ad placed in the local newspaper.

QR code generators can be found with a simple Google search, and they are both free and easy to use. The difficulty comes in deciding on and executing your message, according to Roger Vergara, president of RH Power & Associates Inc.

How to use QR codes
Dealers using QR codes need to remember customers find the technology useful because it allows them to download information to their phone, says Vergara. Therefore, dealers not only need to give users a reason to want that information instantly, but the information must also be presented on a website appropriate for a mobile device.

“There is a physical limitation in that you are not using a 19-inch monitor; you’re using a 2-inch monitor,” he says.

Consumers are going about their day and want access to some information concerning your dealership. They don’t want to wait until they get home.

One of the most popular ways to use QR codes is to provide information on boats for sale, often a video walkaround. Customers are able to gain valuable information even when a salesperson is not present, which is an environment many customers prefer.

“The customer can get the info on the boat, get in his car and show the information to his spouse,” Vergara says. “He does this all in a comfortable manner.”

Woodard Marine’s customers click on the above QR code and are brought to a video explaining the service their boat needs.

For videos, like those of a boat walkaround, Vergara recommends using YouTube to post it because it works on both iPhone and Android devices. And to record the videos, Vergara says a simple Flip Video camcorder will provide the quality necessary.

Where to use QR codes
Use of QR codes is not limited to dealerships’ boat sales departments.

In fact, Woodard Marine in Hydeville, Vt., uses QR codes in its service department, recording technicians explaining the work completed on a customer’s boat, as well as service and maintenance suggestions, says Eric Splatt, sales manager at Woodard Marine.

The dealership’s managers film the 30-second videos, which explain why a part needs to be replaced and the service that goes into it.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you need your bellows replaced on your boat? Well, why would I need that replaced?’” Splatt says. “Showing them the damaged parts is the reassurance, saying, ‘Look, those are pretty weathered and need to be replaced.’”

At Woodard Marine, this task is accomplished through a smartphone, so the video can easily be emailed. The dealership created a bank of videos for more common jobs that can easily be added to a customer’s repair order.

QR codes can also be used to market other departments. For example, many businesses use QR codes to offer coupons, which can prove an effective tool for promoting your boat rental or parts & accessories offerings.

Tracking your results
Although there isn’t much monetary investment required, the QR code process still requires time, so Vergara recommends monitoring the traffic to the QR code landing page to make sure it is catching on with customers. This is best accomplished by creating pages solely for QR code users, allowing you to track the results using Google Analytics.

Another advantage of a QR code-specific page is the ability to incorporate an opt-in feature or a call to action, allowing visitors to enter their contact information on a page specific to the product they are interested in. A salesperson can then reach out to the prospect with information tailored to his or her interests.

Vergara recommends appointing one person to be in charge of QR code endeavors. Dealers who create QR codes for every boat on their lot will want to maintain a high level of organization, and it is also a benefit to challenge one person to brainstorm where the dealership can use QR codes next.

“[Use QR codes] in a few simple things at first, and if it is working for you, push yourself and start thinking of the possibilities and different ways you can use them,” Vergara says.

Once comfortable with the technology, Vergara recommends dealers use QR codes in their marketing campaigns, especially given the high cost of placing an ad in the local newspaper.

“A news ad may cost you $1,000 a day. Now you can cut down that ad by taking much of the important information about a boat and placing it in a QR code,” he says.

Vergara also recommends branching out to business cards, or vCards. Many of the same resources used to create QR codes for hyperlinks can be used to create a QR code programmed with contact information that can be downloaded to a phone.
Considering nearly all consumers research before they buy, as well as the exponential rise in smartphone usage, Vergara sees QR codes as more than just a passing fad.

“Get on this wagon now. If you don’t, you are going to get left behind,” Vergara concludes.

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