I think it was to sell more memberships. You could only transfer your ticket to a member. It worked in my group as we have three or four people who we would generally give our spare tickets to if we couldn't attend. Those people have had to buy memberships this season in order for us to continue to be able to send them our tickets.
Selling more memberships is a by-product of limiting how people can buy a match ticket without having a history with the club. Maybe more memberships was that the plan all.
along but I see it as a pretty easy way to stop away fans from getting home tickets. I doubt the club would have changed things were it not for the noise made about it from fan groups last season.
You and your friends could just screenshot the qr code btw