How QR Codes Are Changing Farm-to-Consumer Trust

QR codes evolved beyond menus at restaurants to almost all of commerce – and now to agriculture.

Farmers see QR codes as an effective way to connect directly to consumers — and ultimately, as a way to eliminate the need for intermediaries like retailers, marketers, etc. That is, when a consumer chooses to scan your QR code, you know he/she is interested in your product and is located near the product itself.

That interest, that curiosity, is the most valuable marketing opportunity in agriculture. Yet, most farms are not utilizing it.

The Trust Opportunity

Traditional food labels have space for approximately 20 words to describe how a product was grown. These words were likely selected by marketers, printed months ago, and used for all products regardless of when or where the product was actually produced.

QR codes enable a connection to a live webpage that can provide a wide range of data about how your product was grown. This can include:

• The exact production cycle for that batch of product
• All documented farming events from planting to harvest
• Photos of the actual farming process
• A transparency score representing how complete the documentation is
• Blockchain recording (optional add-on) proving that records cannot be modified
• Reviews from other customers that purchased the product

This is the difference between stating a product is "sustainably grown," versus providing evidence of what that statement really represents.

What Does the Consumer See?

Once a consumer scans a QR code with a Trazo code, the user experience is built around progressively building trust:

Within the first two seconds: A transparency score will load. This score is based on a scale of 0 to 100 and provides the consumer with an immediate sense of how well this farm documented their processes.

Next three to five seconds: Consumers will see some basic production data about the product — what was grown, where it was grown, when it was harvested, and how many different farming events were documented.

Consumers that wish to learn more: Can scroll through a timeline of the entire growing process — a series of documents describing the events from planting through harvest, each document provided with a date, description, and a verification badge.

Full Verification: For the most detail-conscious consumers, links to blockchain transactions may be available to verify independently each record in the database.

Progressive Approach

Trazo's design enables casual users to obtain value from a QR scan within seconds, while providing engaged consumers with the option to explore as deeply as they would like.

Real World Examples

At the Farmer's Market

A local grower of specialty avocados prints QR codes on each crate and provides them to consumers. Once a consumer scans the QR code, they will see the full growing history — 14 documented events over eight months — of the avocado, including the application of organic fertilizers, irrigation records, and photos of the harvest. The transparency score of 92%, indicates to the consumer, this grower has nothing to hide.

In Specialized Retail

A coffee producer prints QR codes on their packaging and once scanned, consumers will see the elevation, soil preparation, harvest methodology, and processing details for that particular lot of coffee. With blockchain verification enabled (available as an add-on), each record becomes tamper-proof. The retail partner utilizes the QR code as a premium positioning element.

Direct-to-Consumer

An organic vegetable farm prints QR codes on the containers sent out with their CSA program. Once the subscriber scans the QR code, they can see exactly what occurred in the field that week — which events occurred, what conditions the vegetables were subjected to, and photos of the harvest. In doing so, the farm transforms a transaction into a relationship.

Why QR Beats Traditional Labels

Getting Started with QR Codes for Your Farm

Trazo makes creating QR codes easy:

1. Track your production - Track all of your farm events as they occur. The more information you track, the more detailed the customer experience will be.
2. Create your QR codes - Trazo will create a QR code for every production, simply download or print your QR code.
3. Post your QR codes - Anywhere that customers may view your QR codes (e.g., on packaging, crate labels, at markets, etc.)
4. Follow up on customer interaction - Scan counts, customer interaction and review comments are displayed on your dashboard.

There is no cost for generating your QR code. It is the history behind your QR code (verified documentation of your farming practices) that provides the value.

The Bottom Line

With every product you sell, you create the opportunity to form a personal connection with the person purchasing that product. QR codes provide you with the ability to take that opportunity and make something tangible out of it. When a consumer has the ability to see and confirm where and how their food was grown, they develop trust with the farmer producing that food.

Those farmers that begin to establish transparency around their products today will have a distinct advantage over time as the number of consumers demanding verifiable sourcing continues to grow.

You can create your first QR code in under 2 minutes. Start connecting directly with the customers that support your practices.