{"id":1004031883,"date":"2011-08-24T11:32:49","date_gmt":"2011-08-24T19:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004031883"},"modified":"2022-12-07T18:42:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T02:42:40","slug":"qr-code-qriosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/qr-code-qriosity\/","title":{"rendered":"QR Code QRiosity"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brad Berton<\/strong><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s challenging commercial leasing environment, enlightened listing agents are willing to consider nearly any means of quickly and efficiently disseminating information about availabilities. And more and more pioneering pros around the country these days are tapping into an ever-emerging smartphone technology in hopes of generating old-fashioned telephone conversations with prospective tenants or their reps.<\/p>\n

While the technology\u2019s market penetration to date is likely still in single digits, on-site listing signs at all sizes and shapes of commercial spaces now feature odd-looking squares of encoded black-and-white patterns known as \u201cQuick Response\u201d codes. Given how easily and cheaply QR codes can be added, allowing passers-by to link smartphones and other mobile devices into extensive details about the listed space, it should be no surprise even moderately technocentric brokers expect the phenomenon to continue burgeoning in coming years.<\/p>\n

At this early stage in the use of QR codes for commercial property listing purposes, brokers cannot say with any degree of certainty just how effective the technology is when it comes to filling space. But practitioners seem pretty certain it is helping their causes\u2014or at the very least, it demonstrates technological competence and willingness to experiment with new marketing strategies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows we\u2019re doing everything possible to up the odds of success, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about in this business,\u201d stressed Rob Kurth, principal at the tech-savvy Kursch Group boutique brokerage in the Southern California high desert city of Victorville. Particularly for an outfit like Kursch, where the pros are already quite proficient at using smart mobile devices, QR codes represent one more viable means of sharing data and catching eyeballs of more prospective tenants.<\/p>\n

While it is hard to specify just how many contacts QR codes generated, veteran agent Scott Maesel is convinced the technology had a lot to do with the 200-plus inquiries he and associate Wayne Caplan received after posting the codes on street-level listing signs at a high-profile downtown Chicago high-rise.<\/p>\n

Maesel, managing director with the local Sperry Van Ness brokerage operation, as of press time had not yet closed a deal for any of the 7,000 square feet of space available at developer Fifield Cos.\u2019 Alta at K Station luxury apartment tower. \u201cBut ownership is aware that the QR code strategy raised the profile of the property and (increased) the ability to get people information even if they\u2019re just walking by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maesel is bullish about the technology\u2019s prospects, and in fact is using QR codes on signage for about a dozen Chicagoland listings. But he is also all too aware of its limitations in a society where smartphone usage remains far from universal.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it seems like a natural enhancement (to the mix of marketing strategies),\u201d Maesel continued. \u201cBut I believe both brokers and owners would utilize it more if somehow it were universally understood.\u201d <\/p>\n

In addition, like so many other mobile applications, users have to download QR code readers to their phones and other devices in order to take advantage of the technology. But reader apps cost little if anything, and are pretty simple to download and use. Once a mobile device owner installs a reader, he or she can simply aim the device\u2019s camera at (or near) the code on a listing sign and be linked to the corresponding Web page providing real-time updated data on the subject space and property.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can stand in front of the building, snap a picture of the code and get the contact or content you want on the property instantly,\u201d related early-adopting broker Mary Beth Kohart, a principal with Cassidy Turley in Indianapolis. Busy field operatives \u201cdon\u2019t have to mess around writing down phone numbers or Web site addresses; you\u2019ll already have them.\u201d<\/p>\n

QR codes likewise eliminate the impracticalities of regularly updating the listing information Kursch Group has been providing with its on-site posters, added Kurth. \u201cYou can make those changes in real time, and that does save time and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

More important, QR codes make it easier for key people to get information they need and compare it with the competition at their leisure, without needing to take time for a personal conversation, Kurth noted. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a key to effective brokerage.\u201d <\/p>\n

Landlords and brokers also like the fact that tech-savvy prospective tenants and their reps can access property data on something of a \u201cself-service\u201d basis on weekends or at other times agents are not immediately available, added Aaron Ligon, broker-in-charge at multi-service Ligon Commercial Real Estate in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is little disputing that this technology can provide great listing exposure and 24-7 marketing,\u201d Kohart agreed.<\/p>\n

To make it easier to use the codes, Ligon utilizes the automatic QR code generator and companion URL shortening function available through the Bitly content-linking service. Bitly likewise tracks the number of times prospective tenants or their reps\u2014or pretty much any devices\u2014scan each of the QR codes Ligon has on his various listing signs, offering insight into direct traffic volume.<\/p>\n

Ligon has also just begun handing out specialty \u201cproperty cards\u201d embedded with QR codes for specific properties, which direct prospects to a digital copy of information that would otherwise be printed and hand delivered. Kursch is likewise embedding QR codes on \u201cpostcard\u201d type marketing mailings.<\/p>\n

One slight complication likely to be ironed out in fairly short order is that some of the various mobile devices in use today work with customized QR code reader apps. However, the codes themselves are universally applicable\u2014although, as Maesel pointed out, some devices recognize them more efficiently than others.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the greater challenge is that a lot of working American adults still don\u2019t carry smartphones and\/or tablet devices\u2014and many probably never will. But at least corporate and other user-side real estate pros and tenant reps use mobile devices disproportionately to the general population and are more likely to understand what QR codes are all about.<\/p>\n

Right now, penetration of QR codes in Chicagoland listings is probably still below 10 percent, Maesel estimated, although usage in the nation\u2019s Heartland does appear to be trailing coastal markets and higher activity in Asia bodes well for the United States, Kohart noted.<\/p>\n

She believes it is likely only a matter of time before QR codes evolve into something of a standard practice with listing signage.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, although QR code brokerage pioneers cannot yet credit the technology for a lot of transactions, there are indications it is generating more buzz about listings and also creating clout with clients. Prospective tenants frequently mention Ligon\u2019s use of QR codes, for instance, indicating the strategy is boosting interest in listed spaces (or at least in the marketing materials). <\/p>\n

Like some of the other early adopters, Ligon has created customized Web \u201cmini-pages\u201d linked to the QR codes he has posted at certain properties. These pages include basic information on locations, availabilities, pricing\u2014even floor plans. \u201cAnd some of these pages have been accessed 40 or 50 times,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

One would-be tenant was particularly intrigued by Ligon\u2019s strategy for using QR codes in the firm\u2019s marketing efforts. \u201cAnd that sparked interest in a space we ultimately leased to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landlords also can be impressed, which helps establish professional credibility and helps secure new relationships and listings, Kurth noted. \u201cWhen we explain how we use QR codes to an owner that hasn\u2019t seen them before, the typical response is not only that it\u2019s cool stuff but also that they can trust that we know what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Kohart: \u201cI can illustrate to my owners we are using all avenues to reach prospects. I believe it illustrates you are aware of and understand how to embrace technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Likewise, Ligon\u2019s impression is that his firm\u2019s willingness to pursue \u201cnew and inventive marketing concepts\u201d such as QR codes has been a key factor in winning at least a few agency engagements. <\/p>\n

And he would not be surprised if certain landlords themselves start mixing QR codes into their in-house marketing strategies.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the technology\u2019s market penetration to date is likely still in single digits, on-site listing signs at all sizes and shapes of commercial spaces now feature odd-looking squares of encoded black-and-white patterns known as \u201cQuick Response\u201d codes. How effective are they? By Brad Berton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37301],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004031883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nQR Code QRiosity - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/qr-code-qriosity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"QR Code QRiosity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While the technology\u2019s market penetration to date is likely still in single digits, on-site listing signs at all sizes and shapes of commercial spaces now feature odd-looking squares of encoded black-and-white patterns known as \u201cQuick Response\u201d codes. 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