8 Creative Uses For QR Codes in Business (and Marketing)
Looking for new ways to promote your new company? Or maybe just boost engagement with customers for your pre-existing business? Well, we’re here to help! Here are some creative uses for QR Codes in business and marketing! QR Codes have been around for decades, but their popularity has been growing exponentially in recent years.
This is all thanks to the global boom of smartphone usage. Did you know, the smartphone market grew from 59% in 2017 to over 78% in 2020? This is one of the driving factors for the growth of QR Codes, along with the global pandemic. According to a Statista survey, it is estimated that over 11 million US households alone scanned a QR Code.
That’s a massive number. It’s extremely fast-growing, but you won’t believe the numbers for Asia. The use of these codes are surging throughout Asia, especially in China. COVID-wise, the need of contactless methods of interaction increased. This is where QR Codes come in! It allowed for easy, contactless interactions between consumer and seller, as well as an easy form of payment, and tracking (for the pandemic).
So, where does this all come together for businesses and marketing? Well, it’s been shown that QR Codes are more effective than other traditional marketing tactics, and are also great for conducting surveys, or sharing company information and contact details. For example, consumers are much more likely to quickly scan and fill out a survey online than they are to write everything out on pen and paper.
Also, nearly every smartphone has a QR Code scanner built-in to their default camera! So, the target audience is massive. If you want to give making one of these codes a go, we offer a QR Code Generator. We also offer tutorials that cover the different types of QR Codes you can create!
Adding QR Codes To Product Labels
Running a store? Whether it’s an online business, grocery store, make-up company, or whatever in-between-one of the best creative uses for QR Codes is to add them to your product labels! QR Codes can be an easy way to communicate with your consumers.
You could use the QR Code for a range of scenarios. Sending a package? You could throw the QR Code on there to link to a survey, so, customers can instantly scan the box or packaging and give you feedback! This can be a great way to collect invaluable data, and find out what your audience is into or wants to see.
Another good example of QR Codes on product labels is within physical stores. You can add the QR Code for customers to scan on their phone to see more information about the product. This allows you to save space on the label itself, and have all the information presented through the code!
Finally, you could also have it link to tutorial or How-To videos. This is great for technology products, or make-up. Not sure how to set this up? Well, we actually have a QR Code Generator on our website – and it’s completely free! Just put in the URL or information you want to show, and then click generate! You can also customize the size to fit your product labels.
Email Newsletter Sign-Ups
Running an advertisement or promotional campaign? Rather than having potential subscribers searching up your website, and then running through a bunch of clicks and buttons to sign-up for your newsletter – you can just use a QR Code! You can generate a QR Code and print/add it to any images/campaigns or other promotional material you’re using, and have it link to a URL that takes potential subscribers directly to your email sign-up. It’s been shown that consumers are more likely to sign-up for a service when the steps are as minimal and simple as possible.
Easy Signing For Petitions
Similarly, to email sign-ups, did you know you could even use it for people to easily sign petitions? For example, if you’re running a petition on Change.org, you could just have the QR Code link straight to the petition’s URL! This is great for non-for-profit businesses or charities. You can easily spread the word out for your petition, and put the QR Code on promotional materials, or posters for your cause. It’s more efficient than walking around, asking people to sign a sheet!
Use QR Code For Discount/Promo Codes
Really want to drive customer engagement and sales? Use QR Codes to give out discounts or promotional codes for your store! You could even have it link to a sign-up page to receive the discount/promo code. It’s a win/win! It’s also one of the most creative uses for QR Codes when it comes to businesses. You could plaster these QR Codes in your store, any advertisement posters, and it’s a good “call to action” marketing technique. It’s actually become quite a common practice, and many companies are already implementing this strategy.
Processing Payments
Did you know? There has been more than $2 trillion spent in payments/transactions over QR Codes. This figure is estimated to easily reach $3 trillion by 2025. If it ends up happening earlier, it won’t be a surprise!
Many businesses have been turning to QR Codes to process payments, and it’s already supported by most of the major payment processers – like PayPal and Apple Pay. You can get creative with it, too. Running a restaurant or cafe? You can put the QR Code on the menus or tables, and have people order + pay without getting up!
In a post-pandemic world, it’s also safer for both, the consumer and worker, as it’s contact-free. On top of this, it’s efficient. It also means the resources that would usually be spent taking orders and payments can be used elsewhere. It’s also more attractive to customers, as they won’t need to wait in huge lines! QR Code payments are almost instant, and can take a range of payment options.
Business Cards
It’s such an obvious solution for business cards, we don’t even know if it counts as creative uses for QR Codes! It’s just so simple and intuitive. Adding QR Codes on your business card makes any potential client and consumer accessing your contact details so much easier. It also makes them more likely to actually contact you!
Instead of going through the tedious and lengthy process to open up an email app and put in your contact address, or typing out your entire phone number (which could go wrong!) to their contact details – a QR Code can do this automatically for them. You can link a QR Code to a “mailto:” address, which automatically opens and starts a draft to the linked email, or to directly add a phone number to their contacts… All with a simple scan and click through every smartphone’s basic/default camera app! You can do this using our QR Code Generator app, and it’s all free!
Self-Guided Tours
Running an art exhibit, or maybe you just offer company/facility tours? You know, one of the creative possibilities for QR Codes is creating a self-guided tour! There are two simple ways you could go about this: adding QR Codes to scan next to the piece of art (or room, whatever you want to show off!) that has the related information. This also adds a level of interactivity to your exhibits, which makes it more hands-on and fun for and tourers! On top of this, it also makes the entire tour trackable – you can see data and statistics on which QR Codes has been scanned, which can provide useful information e.g.: on what piece was most popular.
Another way you could run a self-guided tour, is by using the QR Code to link to a video or audio (or even app) that plays as the person walks through the exhibit. This QR Code scenario has already been implemented in some museums and art galleries. It’s quite popular, and an invaluable way to gain data. Along with that, you could even add in call-to-action buttons, urging the consumer to share the exhibit on Social Media (or even sign-up for a newsletter! Possibilities are near-endless).
For Event RSVPs
Sick of hosting business events like get-togethers, meetings, or presentations and nobody RSVPs? Maybe, it’s because the sign-up or check-in process is too tedious. QR Codes cuts down the time tremendously, and makes it, so people can even check-in before the event as long as they can scan the QR Code!
This is more efficient than the typical pen-and-paper RSVP/sign-in method, or using tools like Facebook Events. Almost everybody has a smartphone with a camera that scan QR Codes. On top of that, due to services like Google, it can autofill their information into the RSVP or check-in forms you link to in the QR Code.
Get Started With QR Codes Now!
Create your own QR Codes completely free using our Code Generator! Create a range of codes, from URL links, contact forms, and track all the stats! You can even customize the design and size.
