August Marks World QR Code Month, Celebrating a Technology That Has Become Essential to Marketing, E-Commerce, and Everyday Transactions
New York City, New York, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As QR codes celebrate their 32nd year, August has been officially recognized as World QR Code Month to highlight the global impact of this once-niche technology. From product tracking origins in 1994 to a modern-day staple across marketing, retail, and events, QR codes have become a vital link between physical and digital interactions. Their usage continues to climb, with scan activity up more than 400% since 2022 and adoption expanding in both consumer and enterprise spaces.
The development of the quick-response (QR) codes in 1994 is credited to Masahiro Hara, who led in designing the technology to efficiently track the products of DENSO WAVE, a Toyota subsidiary. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, QR codes made an upturn as a means for contactless identification, entries, and payments.
August marks two monumental events in the QR code sphere. World QR Code Day is observed every 21st of the month to recognize the innovation that reshaped digital access and interaction, and every 8th to commemorate Hara’s birthday.
QR TIGER: Leading the QR code industry for 7 years
QR TIGER is one of the pioneers in the QR code industry. It was founded on August 21, 2018, just one step ahead before the health crises happened. It supported various sectors and industries to function despite restrictions in physical interactions.
Seven years later, it remained true to its mission and vision by providing secure, customizable, accessible, and data-rich QR solutions for individuals and businesses worldwide. This led to the steady growth of QR technology even after the pandemic.
CEO Benjamin Claeys takes inspiration from the legacy of Hara, emphasizing that innovation is always at the top of their priorities.
“Our goal is to constantly improve the user experience while exploring new use cases and opportunities. We actively collaborate with different customers to understand their needs and push the product to new levels,” said Claeys.
As an advanced and globally trusted QR code generator, multinational brands such as Frito-Lays, Hershey’s, Pepsi Co., Quaker, and Skechers use its solutions to run their campaigns successfully.
In the United States, Poppi Soda launched a Super Bowl campaign featuring QR code-driven sweepstakes, giving fans a shot at tickets to the 2026 NFL Super Bowl. Inglewood, California’s 1010 Wine and Events also powers their events with QR codes.
QR code usage has been stable with a 47% growth year-on-year, while global scans are already at 41.77 million in 2025, a 433% increase from 2022.
The United States currently leads with over 40% share of the global scans, followed by India with 13% of the scans, then China, France, Turkey, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany.
Marketing (23.75%), education (13.23%), events (7.88%), e-commerce (6.80%), and culture (6.57%) are the top industries with the highest QR code usage and scans as of date.
As for consumers, about 82% believe that QR codes will become a permanent part of using their phones.
QR codes have served as a critical bridge between real-world objects and their digital counterparts. Their widespread adoption across various industries is a clear indication that the once humble square matrix barcode is now a must-have for modern interactions.
The future of QR codes
For 32 years, QR codes continue to make a name for themselves as they make significant contributions to digitalization, way beyond what they were originally made for. And that makes them worth celebrating.
The world is already set to use QR codes, particularly GS1 QR codes, to accompany and replace some of the linear barcodes in products. This is inspired by the Sunrise 2027 initiative of international organization GS1, a long-term goal to improve product traceability and transparency.
QR TIGER, as an industry leader, continues to commit to its goals to push this transformation forward. Claeys affirms that they are investing in AI-driven design, enterprise-grade security, and industry-compliant features to help businesses harness the full potential of QR technology.
CONTACT: Edrian PR and Communications Manager [email protected]
