Customers’ QR Code Usage Barriers in a Brick-and-Mortar Store: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that hinder customers from utilizing QR codes when they visit brick-and-mortar (B&M) stores. The research was conducted at a Finnish fashion retailer, where three types of QR codes were displayed for customers to use. In order to identify the barriers that customers face, two different sets of data were collected and analyzed: open-ended survey data (n = 101) and interview data (n = 16). The findings showed two main categories of barriers, customer and company related, with seven sub-barriers. The customer-related barriers included lack of interest in QR codes, user-related usage issues, desire for a device-free B&M store, and dislike toward QR codes. The company-related barriers included unnoticeable QR codes in the B&M store, service personnel in the B&M store, and QR code-related technical problems.