I took last week off to work around the house, and one of the many things I did was wander the aisles of the local Home Depot. I ended up in the landscaping area with the colorful, eye-catching plants. And standing in the potting soil right beside the plants were basic plant information tags with QR codes.

QR codes are squares that look like a fancy bar codes, and with the click of a smart phone, these particular ones take you to more information about care for that particular plant.

Credit unions need to explore the possibilities of this technology as smartphones become more prevalent. Checking an account balance could be as simple as scanning a QR code on your credit card combined with an authentication tool. Or allow members to rate shop with a QR code on a statement stuffer or direct mailer expounding the benefits of your credit union's CDs.