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Have been thinking a lot about QR Codes...a tool yet to find its proper footing in the West, but a critical component of real estate, placemaking, functionality, and delight here in China. Let's walk the block...
The year is 1994. Ace of Base has 2 Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers. Jurassic Park just dropped on VHS. Life is good. @ToyotaMotorCorp sales are booming and their Japanese parts subsidiary, Denso Wave, needs a more efficient system to track components and keep up with shipments.
Enter Masahiro Hara(san), who's like ‘Hold my HP 12c, bro’ and combines byte + numeric + alphanumeric protocols + Kanjji (the 
characters adopted for 
writing system) to invent Quick Response Code. QRC scans faster than barcode + holds 215x more data. Supply chains rejoice.
characters adopted for writing system) to invent Quick Response Code. QRC scans faster than barcode + holds 215x more data. Supply chains rejoice.
Jog to 2010. Internet's a real thing. Merchants + marketing firms theorize that QR codes could be the golden ticket to O2O (Online to Offline) marketing greatness. They aqua-net them into magazines + shop windows. But in the US, the hill just won't sled. Meanwhile, in China...
The QR code is quietly becoming a part of daily Chinese life. In 2010, QR Codes roll out on train tickets + transit receipts. In 2011 - Alipay designs a QR Code for consumer payments, catching the wave as China mobile adoption hits hyperspeed. Enter, Real Estate...
2021 China: Mobile pay penetration is 80% (vs. USA's 27%) + ecommerce p.a. growth is 27%. A rapidly urbanizing population + 1.17B monthly WeChat users + Alipay ecosystem make QRCs the mesh between digital + physical landscapes. 1MP Office smoothies are on me, Masahiro Harasan...
For top landlords, QRC rails enable the best of check-ins, point of sales, and user experience. Tenants, consumers, + the public can earn discounts, pay for goods, sign up for building events, play games to interact with the people + spaces around them, and more.
By 12p today, I'd used a QRC to: Ride metro, clear security in 2 skyscrapers, prove COVID-free status in 4 public spaces, buy a colleague flowers, trade contact details w/ 7 tenants, rent a bike, get dry cleaning, and score a free yoga class at a retail pop-up near my office.
As an asset management tool, QRCs can build bridges. A code can notify office tenants of visitors, call elevators to a designated floor, allow a tenant to communicate directly with a property manager, and enable alerts with building news, COVID measures, or happy hour events.
With QRCs, brick + mortar retailers can run parallel promotions with nearby vendors, save paperwork on sales receipt reconciliation for rent payments, and aid community building + discovery. ("Love this gym? Check out the new location at One Museum Place. Scan for a coupon...").
QRCs can also build connection. In the lift, I praised a lady's manicure. We scanned WeChats. She shared the shop QRC + a voucher. I shared a QRC for a jogger's meet-up in the museum plaza + the code for that free yoga class. Thx Masahiro Harasan. See you on the mat, Li Wei!
