I'd bet that they started doing it, had zero uptake, cancelled the project, didn't bother re-printing promo material or renewing domains. QR codes are still too geeky (and maybe will always be).
Anecdotally I noticed QR codes all over the place in East Asian countries (on receipts in Taiwan for example).
Then here in Australia we now have a QR code system for 'checking in' to an establishment (for Covid tracing). I'd say at this point the vast majority of the population must be using QR codes multiple times a week/month. I've also seen quite a few bars/restaurants implement NFC/QR discs on tables that then point you to the menu/online ordering. It works surprisingly well (and I believe some countries in Europe have done the same in terms of menus at the very least).
In Singapore, it’s also pretty common for cafes to have menus (or even end-to-end ordering and payment) via QR code. I think that’s a pretty good use case (in addition to COVID check in/checkout).
We have those in the UK too, to "check in" cafes etc. Pretty much nobody uses them, which is part of the reason the whole tracing effort was basically abandoned.
I'd say just by subjective observation that lockdown and limited staff availability have done a huge amount to take QR to ubiquity more than anything else.
It’s now as simple as can be - the basic camera app on most phone is enough to use QR codes, but it seems it’s not natural, apart from specific usecases.
Then here in Australia we now have a QR code system for 'checking in' to an establishment (for Covid tracing). I'd say at this point the vast majority of the population must be using QR codes multiple times a week/month. I've also seen quite a few bars/restaurants implement NFC/QR discs on tables that then point you to the menu/online ordering. It works surprisingly well (and I believe some countries in Europe have done the same in terms of menus at the very least).
So this might be the year of the QR code!