QR codes (the square, barcode-like picture that you scan with your smartphone to access a website) still haven’t taken off in the United States. For one, they were never really introduced to the public; rather, they just started appearing. Second, not everyone has a smartphone, and even the people who do know that QR code readers aren’t a standard app.
On top of that, I have read many case studies on QR code usage and have been completely underwhelmed (oh boy, a chance to sign up for your company’s crappy newsletter), until now: A Korean grocery store called Tesco put up displays of their foods in subways so people could shop while waiting. Watch this video:
Instead of creating some useless website as the destination of the QR codes, like most companies to date have done, Tesco actually filled a need (grocery shopping). Pure genius.