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Born in the 1990s, the QR (quick response) code started as a method to track manufacturing processes. By the turn of the century, they were widely used even though they required a special reader. With the growth of smartphones, they could be easily scanned.
However, in the last few years, the QR code became a tech anachronism. Until Covid-19.
Now they’re deployed in restaurants in lieu of menus, on retail doors to advise of changes in hours, in all manner of creative use once again. QR codes are in television ads and directed print, driving customers the new old-fashioned way.