Why QR codes are on the rise

The article from The Economist discusses why 2D barcodes, particularly QR codes, are more prevalent in some regions compared to others. It explains that QR codes became popular in Japan in 2002 due to limited mobile internet access and were heavily promoted by advertisers and publishers. In China, their use exploded with platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay, enabling contactless payments without the need for NFC technology. In contrast, North America and Europe have been slower to adopt these codes extensively, partly due to the availability of alternative technologies like Apple Pay and Android Pay, which rely on NFC. For more details, you can read the full article on The Economist’s website here.