The popularity of QR codes have seen many ups and downs over the course of its almost 30-year existence, but with the need for contact-less menus and transactions during the pandemic, barcode technology is coming back in a big way. From 2018-2020, QR code usage has increased by 96% and many of the top real estate brokerages across the globe have taken notice.
With internet listings now being the primary means for home searches, the ease of use and speed of QR codes have made this once-forgotten technology more valuable than ever.
Here’s how top agents are using this simple yet effective tool to connect with clients.
Straightforward Listings
Previously, one of the main drawbacks of QR codes was entire segments of the population unaware of how the technology worked, but that has drastically changed since the pandemic says Chris Morrison, co-founder of RETSY. “I went to a restaurant with my mother, who is not a tech-savvy person, and I watched her easily scan a QR code to order a drink. I realized then that a lot more people must know how to use this technology than before.”
It was this realization that helped lead Morrison to start RETSY and develop the proprietary technology that would define the Scottsdale-based brokerage. “We use QR codes on almost every listing. What it does is give the consumer easy access to the information they want without all the extra trouble. No agents nagging you for months, no 1-800 recordings, no empty flier boxes. Just scan and you’ve got everything you need.”
For Tracey Atkins, a director at Private Property Global, QR codes not only make listings easier to access but also more enticing. By removing unnecessary text from listing advertisements, Atkins says that “we look less like we’re selling a home on the market and more that we’re telling a home to the market.”
The Melbourne-based marketing specialist added, “all we use is the image, the address and a QR code, and that leads them to a video where they can get a deeper level of understanding and engagement.”
Tried and True Methods Meet Modern Technology
Most agents have learned that sometimes traditional means of connecting with clients, like newspaper ads, billboards and cards, can work the best. However, for Catherine Bassick of Bassick Real Estate Advisors, adding a little update to these methods can make all the difference.
“I send out postcards about properties coming to the market and also those recently sold and I include a QR code to enable folks to get right to the property website instead of having to find it through several steps.”
Atkins says that PPG utilized QR codes alongside more classic advertising strategies when marketing the renowned Melbourne mansion Namarong. “We did a large campaign that included using QR codes through a national newspaper which was a powerful way to leverage that media and an opportunity for further storytelling.”
Agent Intel, With Ease
The ease of QR codes doesn’t just apply to home buyers but to agents as well, says Morrison. “When someone sees a property they like, they can scan the real estate sign and now we, as agents, can show them not only that property but others similar to it. We’re trying to make the perfect ecosystem for our agents.”
By using technology like QR codes, Morrison says that RETSY has been able to draw in some of “the top performing luxury agents who know that the tools we provide give us an advantage over any type of competition.”
The head of the Morrison Team added that the data gathered from QR codes is used for real estate and real estate only.
“A lot of companies give out QR codes so they can scrape your information, but with our system, it’s a closed loop, and it’s designed just for the real estate agents.”
Creating A Personnel Connection
In addition to connecting home buyers with listings, Jim Dolan, owner of CDR San Miguel, says the scannable technology also aids in marketing his brokerage and himself.
“We put QR codes on the back of our cell phones. It’s great, I’ll be at a conference or socializing and someone will ask for a business card and all I have to do is flip my phone over and they instinctively know what to do.”
The luxury broker continued that, unlike physical business cards, digital cards are more likely to remain in the hands, or phones, of potential clients. “Most of the time you get these cards and they end up in a stack in your closet. But with QR codes, my information goes directly into their phones, and that’s a big thing for us.”
CDR San Miguel, Private Property Global and RETSY are exclusive members of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes. Search the latest luxury listings here.