You know those funny black and white boxes showing up on ads, brochures, real estate signs and even product packaging?

 Those are QR Codes, and according to Chadwick Martin Bailey, while 81% recall having seen them (once shown an example) only 21% seemed to actually know anything about them. (A previous survey by Russell Herder found 30% didn't know what they were even though 72% have seen one before.)

The Chadwick Martin Bailey study also found:

• Of those who've scanned one, 41% found the info useful. The rest were mixed or said it wasn't useful. (A previous survey by Russell Herder found that of those who've scanned more than one QR code, 31% say it's usually worth their time, where 52% say it's only sometimes worth it.)
• Once scanned,  respondents overwhelming said the codes were easy to scan. However, the bigger hurdle is consumers knowing that they are supposed to scan the code with their cell phone.
• The most popular reason (43%) for interest in scanning the code (including people who previously didn't know what a QR code was) is to "gain access to discounts/coupons/free items" followed by an almost tie (26% and 25% respectively) between "get more info about  the product/service" and "gain access to exclusive content."
• For those who have actually scanned a code, the most popular reason was "curious what it would do" at 46%, followed closely by "to get more information" at 41%, trailing much lower at 18% was to "take advantage of a discount or coupon or free gift."
• 18% did buy after scanning. So it can be helpful in closing the sale.