To really find more uses, you need to “think URL” — much very specific information can be transported in URLs nowadays. You can even construct URLs which perform a specific search query or do a Twitter post. And QR Codes transport URLs very well (similar for NFC tags by the way, the two kinds of tags are merely different from a technical perspective). Another way to think of QR Codes is “object/location bookmarks”. The only marketing-related use would be to get people to sign up for a newsletter to receive a coupon.

Some examples from your common household situation: Adorn your TV’s remote control with a code which links to the current TV programme or IMDB. Put a QR code up next to the coat hanger which links to your local weather. Put a QR code up next to your door that shows you what trains/buses are leaving next from your local bus/tram/train station (via a specific query of your local transportation services). Keep your shopping list in Remember The Milk, make a QR code linking to that list and stick it on the fridge. Use QR codes to broadcast recurring events to members your family, like round-tweets/texts “I’m going shopping right now. Need anything?”, which you can e.g. put on that reusable shopping bag that you keep in your car. Can’t remember that darn WiFi configuration of yours that you only need to remember once every year? Put it in Evernote and link to it via a QR code that you slap on your WiFi router (or, if you must, create a plain-text-QR code if the configuration is stable). Doing GTD? Stick QR codes to specific locations where one or the other GTD context becomes relevant. which Slap QR codes on your more complex electronic devices which link to a PDF version of the user manual.

I’m sure ideas are now popping up everywhere.

Hint: URLs with queries etc. can become quite complex. You can use an url shortener like goo.gl. If you use goo.gl, you can simply add “.qr” to the end of the short url to create a QR code to print out. Pretty nifty, eh?

Hint 2: Most URL shorteners only support “http://” URLs and can’t deal with custom URI schemes like “evernote://”. But good old tinyurl.com does! You also need to pay attention to install a scanner app on your smartphone which supports custom URI schemes.