Evaluating the Use of QR Codes on Food Products

Abstract

Today, consumers consider food packaging to be as equally important as a product brand. In addition, the increase in smartphone usage by consumers has led marketers to design new forms of packaging. Among the latest marketing trends, smart packaging with the use of QR Codes is emerging as one of the most promising technologies to enhance the information provided to consumers and influence their buying behavior. This study evaluates the use of a QR Code on bottled milk and more specifically on milk produced by one of the most well-known “boutique” Greek dairy producers. It consists of two phases. In the first one, data was gathered from 537 consumers of the product to capture and analyze their (i) buying behavior, (ii) perception of the product’s package, and (iii) knowledge about the product. In the second phase, a Quick Response (QR) Code was placed on the bottle’s label. Consumers who scanned it were linked to a web page containing information on the product. A total of 308 from the 537 initial respondents scanned the code, accessed the site, and answered the second questionnaire. Similar to the first stage, (i) the consumers’ buying behavior, (ii) their perception of the product’s package, and (iii) their knowledge about the product were examined, following their visit to the above-mentioned website through the QR Code. The objective was to evaluate the use of web applications using enriched text information. The results show that a QR Code on the packaging of food products, which directs consumers to entertaining and enriched content, results in an increased level of usage intention. Moreover, they proved that comprehension and self-confidence are higher with the adoption of the QR Code. In addition, the use of QR Codes enables businesses to provide timely and accurate information and positively influence consumers′ buying behavior.

Consumers’ valuation of blockchain-based food traceability: role of consumer ethnocentrism and communication via QR codes

“…However, these studies focussed on the presence of QR codes on the packaging without considering whether consumers scanned the QR codes and read the embedded information. Rotsios et al (2022) observed differences in product knowledge between consumers who scan QR codes on food packaging and those who did not, but they did not assess the impact of scanning intention on consumers' valuation of the examined food product. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have investigated the impact of scanning QR codes on food packaging on consumers' valuation of food products.…”

“…In addition to the main focus of this study on QR codes carrying traceability information, an examination of QR codes that link to the company website was also conducted. This aspect aims to replicate a real-life scenario where some companies use QR codes on food packaging to provide general information about the company, similar to the study design implemented by Rotsios et al . (2022) for a dairy company.…”

“…To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have investigated the impact of scanning QR codes on food packaging on consumers' valuation of food products. Since scanning QR codes can help consumers access more detailed product information which can help consumers make more informed decisions (Rotsios et al, 2022), we hypothesise: H2. Scanning the QR code containing food traceability information is associated with higher consumers' valuation of traceable food products.…”

“…In addition to the main focus of this study on QR codes carrying traceability information, an examination of QR codes that link to the company website was also conducted. This aspect aims to replicate a real-life scenario where some companies use QR codes on food packaging to provide general information about the company, similar to the study design implemented by Rotsios et al (2022) for a dairy company. The comparison between consumers' valuation of the QR code with traceability information and the company QR code can provide insights into the significance of the QR code's content, rather than solely evaluating the impact of its presence on food packaging.…”

Penerapan Metode Kompresi Huffman untuk Meningkatkan Jumlah Data Informasi pada Kode Quick Response

“…Sementara itu, penelitian [9]- [11] memaparkan pemanfaatan kode QR untuk memberikan informasi pada bidang kesehatan. Selanjutnya, penelitian [12] pemanfaatan kode QR juga digunakan pada produk agar dapat dilacak perpindahannya dan juga pada makanan [13]. Penggunaan kode QR memiliki manfaat yang besar dalam berbagai bidang ilmu.…”