It is what it sounds like - QR codes, but serialised. Instead of having one single QR code that is the same on every item (packaging, product, media asset or anything else) you have a serialised QR code on each item. Serialisation means the item is uniquely identifiable when scanned. 

What are the benefits of QR code serialisation?

Serialisation opens up a huge range of different applications, from delivering personalised experiences to individuals, to providing greater transparency through identifiable information linked uniquely to the specific QR code – whether it is product or ingredient origin, journey through the supply chain or anything else.

In a world where there is a greater push towards authenticity, sustainability and transparency, serialised QR codes can deliver on all three, it provides consumers with the security and certainty that they are looking for when making their purchase decisions.

How does it work?

Serialisation requires the ability to create, manage and track, sometimes millions of IDs that are unique. This is not something you can achieve with a standard QR code generator. You require a sophisticated ID management platform, like io.tt, to do this at scale. 

Once you generate the unique QR codes, you then need to find a way to print these onto the packaging, product or media. Depending on where you wish to place the serialised codes, this process will be different, but let’s say for the sake of argument that you are adding them to a product at scale. This will require a printing partner, either one that can add the unique codes onto a labelling print run, to then be added to the product later, or one that can do the same job, but direct onto product / label on the production line itself – without slowing the overall process. This is why io.tt works across the supply chain with partners to give its clients confidence from ID generation to deployment. 

Finally, once you have achieved the application of the serialised QR code to the product, you must track and analyse the interaction between consumers and QR codes using your ID management platform.

What can you do using QR code serialisation?

So is the extra effort worth it? Absolutely. Using QR Code Serialisation you can solve business challenges, generate extra value for consumers and learn valuable insights that can be re-applied to your business.

If you are facing challenges such as traceability through the supply chain, then you can use QR Codes serialisation to solve these, providing product level data on the journey of each item through your supply chain.

If you are working in an industry that suffers from counterfeiting, then you can use serialised QR codes to provide consumers with a way to authenticate your product as genuine, building trust and confidence amongst your target audience.

If you want to give your consumers a heightened experience – like attaching a personalised message to your product as a gift, then serialised QR codes can help you achieve this. You can also use serialised QR codes to run ‘Golden Ticket’ style competitions, where one specific item will be digitally attached to a prize that a consumer can win by scanning the correct serialised QR code.

What are the benefits for putting in the effort?

As mentioned, serialised QR codes can give you greater transparency, security, and consumer engagement. Whilst these benefits are all very real, and also very alluring if they are baked into consumer facing experiences that leverage the capability that serialised QR codes give you, the biggest benefit of deploying serialised QR codes across your packaging, product or media portfolio is the granular data that it generates.

Serialised QR codes allow brands to track consumer interactions and gather valuable data that can be reapplied across their business. Much of this data is also post-purchase interaction data, a current data black hole for most marketers that can only be filled with post-purchase feedback surveys (where we know that most people don’t actually say what they mean). This ‘Physical Data’ – data that is generated through interaction with a physical object – can connect many dots in a business for marketers, product development teams, and many others.

So what is the future for QR code serialisation?

If the simple QR code is about directing consumers and making access to content and experiences simpler and more seamless, then serialised QR codes are all about the depth and granularity of data that can be generated and then reapplied to solve multiple business challenges.

The applications that sit on top of the capability, create engaging and meaningful experiences that allow brands to gain better insights into consumer interactions with their products and marketing, and the valuable first party data has benefits across the business. 

And in a world more focused on transparency and sustainability than ever, using serialised QR codes to drive compliance with existing and future regulations using a centralised approach, is a powerful reason to implement for any brand owner.

If you're interested in creating serialised QR codes across your brand, talk to our team of experts here, or try it yourself by starting a free trial of io.tt today.