Android still leads the pack as the operating system with the most mobile bar code scans, but Apple is on its heels with a 45 percent market share, according to a new study from Scanbuy.

Scanbuy?s ?Mobile Bar code Trend Report? for the first quarter saw more than a 200 percent year-over-year increase in traffic from unique users via QR codes. For the first time, the quick-serve restaurants entered into the top five industries with a high number of mobile bar code efforts.

?In today's smartphone market, there are really two platforms that marketers need to be thinking about equally ? that consolidation has made it easier for brands to reach a majority of their audience,? said Mike Wehrs, president/CEO of Scanbuy, New York.

?A number of major QSRs have been using QR codes as an ongoing strategy,? he said.

?For example, Taco Bell has ScanLife activated codes on all of their packaging for the Doritos Locos Taco, which links to exclusive video content. All of these campaigns are generating hundreds of thousands of scans.?

Scanning nation
Scanbuy?s ScanLife application and platform processed traffic from more than 5 million users in the first quarter of 2012. Total scans for the company reached 13 million, representing a 157 percent year-over-year growth.

Seventy-six percent of traffic for the company came from 2D bar codes. Twenty-four percent of traffic coming from 1D bar codes such as UPC codes.

Interestingly, males made up 68 percent of total scans. Although scanning a mobile bar code is more associated with males, scans from females have increased by 8 percent over the past year, according to Scanbuy.

The 25-to-34-year-old group made up 35 percent of users on Scanbuy?s platform, marking a new high for the age bracket. Although marketers are using mobile bar codes to reach a variety of demographics, it is clear that a majority of scanning is done by younger, tech-savvy consumers, per the study.

Twenty percent of scans came from consumers ages 35-44, 16 percent came from 18- to 24-year-old consumers and 8 percent came from users 18 years old or younger. Scans from consumers aged 45 years or older rounded out the findings with 21 percent.

A recent campaign from Budweiser with QR codes

Mobile industry
The study also broke out mobile bar codes by industry.

Mobile bar code scans from consumer packaged goods continues to be the No. 1 category year-over-year. With consumers using on-pack and mobile bar code-enabled signage to comparison shop, it is no surprise that QR codes are heavily used by consumer-packaged-goods marketers.

With companies such as KFC, Jamba Juice and Taco Bell all using mobile bar codes for campaigns during the first quarter, the QSR industry played a major role in Scanbuy?s study as the No. 2 category.

The entertainment, retail and wireless industries also made the cut for the top five industries.

Mobile bar codes placed in editorial pages fell out of the top five categories in the study. Simply slapping a QR code on a print ad without an upfront value is not a strong enough incentive for a consumer to scan a page, and marketers need to think more strategically about combining mobile bar codes and print campaigns.

Video, app downloads and learning about product details were the top three uses of mobile bar codes for initiatives run on Scanbuy?s platform in the first quarter of 2012. Linking to a loyalty program or social media were also commonly used in campaigns.

Scanbuy claims to process scans from 130 countries with the United States, Spain, Canada, Denmark and France representing the top five countries with the most traffic.

Other countries in the study included Germany, Mexico, Portugal, Brazil and Britain.

Despite the increase in marketing initiatives using mobile bar codes, not all campaigns are created equal, per Mr. Wehrs.

?The content that you link to has to be mobile-formatted, and there has to be a conversion goal ? that could be a 'Like,' an email opt-in, a phone call, a video, a purchase or much more,? Mr. Wehrs said.

?But give them something of incremental value that they cannot get from the media itself," he said. "Think about what your customer needs at the time, and give it to them in a really simple yet engaging format.

?We expect marketers to get more sophisticated with how they are making connections via QR codes, and they will look to capabilities that allow them to deliver more dynamic experiences.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York