Augmented reality (AR) may seem like a technology of the future, but it’s rapidly becoming a part of our everyday lives. If you’ve ever used a Snapchat or Instagram filter, played Pokémon GO, or tried the IKEA Place app, you’ve already experienced AR in action.
For marketers, AR unlocks a new level of consumer engagement, allowing brands to capture attention and drive sales in innovative ways. But for AR to be truly effective, it must be easily accessible—which is exactly what QR Codes are ideal for.
In this article, we’ll explore how businesses can harness the power of AR and QR Codes to create impactful, interactive campaigns.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality experiences are revolutionizing how businesses interact with consumers by seamlessly blending digital experiences with the physical world. Unlike virtual reality (VR), which immerses users in a fully digital environment, AR enhances reality by overlaying interactive visuals, sounds, and information onto real-world surroundings.
For brands, AR is more than just a novelty—it’s a must-have tool for enhancing engagement and sales. Seventy-nine percent of consumers are interested in using AR to interact with a product before buying. Be it virtual try-ons in fashion and beauty, 3D product projections in e-commerce, or interactive in-store displays, AR is a surefire way to enrich the shopping experience.
How augmented reality works
Augmented reality seamlessly blends digital content with the real world, transforming how users interact with their surroundings.
At its core, AR relies on advanced technologies like AI, computer vision, real-time rendering, and spatial mapping. These innovations enable AR-enabled devices to interpret the physical environment and overlay digital elements—creating immersive, interactive experiences.
When it comes to AR-enabled devices, smartphones lead the way, and one of the simplest and most accessible ways to activate AR on a smartphone is through QR Codes. With a quick scan, users can instantly unlock an AR experience. Brands like Sephora, Nike, and IKEA have already integrated AR into their mobile apps.
AR is also accessible through smart glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories. However, adoption of these devices has remained limited, meaning brands risk narrowing their audience by relying on them. To maximize reach and engagement, focus on smartphone-enabled interactive customer experiences.
Real-life examples of augmented reality
Brands across industries are already using AR to create interactive experiences, including sectors like:
- Gaming: Peridot is a video game that unleashes mythical creatures in the real world. Using AR technology, players interact with novel digital creatures, looking after them as they would a pet. Other popular AR games include Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs, Jurassic World Alive, and The Walking Dead: Our World.
- Interior design: Industry leaders like Wayfair, IKEA, and Amazon use AR technology to help you visualize how a piece of furniture would fit in your home. This is particularly helpful for virtual apartment staging, as it allows you to picture how your existing decor would fit in a new space before moving in.
- Healthcare: Medical schools can use AR to help students learn important medical procedures without practicing on real patients. For example, New York University now offers entire courses involving AR and VR technology. This market is projected to reach $22.43 billion by 2034.
- Beauty: Beauty brands like L’Oreal have rolled out AR experiences where you can “try on” makeup products before making a purchase. This makes it easier for consumers to find the right shade and inspires product purchases that they may never have considered.
- Cars: Car manufacturers like Kia and Mercedes-Benz are including AR technology in their vehicles. Many vehicles now have parking assistant tools, which superimpose lines on a rear-view camera for more precise parking. Some new vehicles even have AR features on the windshield so you can check your speed and navigation without looking down.
- Tourism: Augmented reality is very effective for self-guided tours. As you walk through new areas, you’ll get information about their history and culture, as well as helpful directions and recommendations. For example, the SmartGuide app blends audio tours with AR elements to breathe life into static monuments and historical buildings.
Differences between AR QR Codes and QR Codes
There are several key differences between standard QR Codes and augmented reality QR Codes, including their:
Appearance
AR QR Codes differ in appearance from standard QR Codes. While both retain the recognizable square grid pattern, AR QR Codes incorporate an additional element—an AR marker—which acts as the key to unlocking immersive digital experiences.
Where traditional QR Codes simply redirect users to a static webpage or online resource, AR markers serve as triggers that activate interactive content. These markers can take various forms, such as embedded symbols, custom patterns, or even a brand logo.
When scanned by a mobile device, the marker communicates with the device’s in-built AR system, enabling it to map digital content onto the user’s real-world environment.
Function
Both QR Codes and AR QR Codes rely on a smartphone camera to scan and activate digital content. However, the experience they deliver is different.
A standard QR Code serves as a portal to online content, instantly transporting users to a website, PDF, video, or other digital asset. In essence, these codes act as a bridge between the physical and digital worlds.
AR QR Codes, however, blend both worlds together. They superimpose digital elements onto the user’s physical environment. Users experience AR content directly through their device’s camera, allowing them to see, explore, and engage with digital objects as if they existed in the real world.
Creation process
Creating QR Codes and AR QR Codes involves different steps. Standard QR Codes are simple to generate—you choose a QR Code generator, select the type of code you need, customize it, and then download it.
Creating AR QR Codes requires a different process, which looks like this:
- Use an AR.js framework: AR.js is a free, open-source JavaScript library that makes it easy to add augmented reality to web applications. It works directly in a web browser, so users don’t need to install a separate app. You can find ready-to-use examples and code on GitHub to help you get started.
- Create a marker: A marker is a unique pattern or image that, when recognized by a camera, activates digital overlays. Upload your chosen image (this could be your logo, a symbol, or a graphic) to AR.js to generate the corresponding marker.
- Select a QR Code generator with customization options: To incorporate your AR marker into your QR Code, you’ll need a generator that allows you to embed images and logos, like Bitly. While Bitly doesn’t offer native AR QR Codes, you can upload your third-party AR marker as a logo in the center of your code for the same functionality—no coding required.
- Generate the QR Code: Next, you’ll need to copy and paste the URL linking to your hosted AR experience into your QR Code generator.
- Embed the marker within the QR Code: From the customization page, upload your AR marker as a logo within the QR Code. You can also personalize the colors, pattern, and frame to align with your branding.
- Download and distribute: Once generated, your AR QR Code is ready to be shared and used.
Why should you consider integrating QR Codes with AR?
Gartner estimates that the AR/VR industry will grow to $370 billion by 2034—up from $11.5 billion in 2024. With so much to gain, businesses should act now to capitalize on the AR opportunity, and QR Codes provide the perfect gateway to these immersive experiences. Here’s why:
Elevating user engagement
All marketing teams want to create campaigns that cause a surge in user engagement. But with so much competition out there, traditional marketing and social media campaigns are losing their effectiveness. AR QR Codes can reinvigorate your marketing, transforming one-way communication into an immersive, interactive experience.
AR QR Codes invite consumers to proactively engage. Instead of just watching an ad or glancing at a product, they can visualize it in their space, try it on virtually, or interact with it in real time.
This deeper level of engagement strengthens brand connection and drives results. In fact, interactive AR campaigns have been shown to significantly boost customer interactions and drive loyalty.
Improving marketing strategies
It’s clear that immersive marketing experiences have a positive influence on purchasing decisions. With AR QR Codes, it’s easy to incorporate these experiences across your marketing strategy, including:
- Product packaging: Turn static packaging into an interactive experience with 3D product demonstrations or virtual try-ons.
- Email campaigns: Boost engagement by embedding AR QR Codes in email newsletters. Recipients can scan to access gamified AR experiences, interactive brand stories, or exclusive offers.
- Social media marketing: Enhance digital campaigns by placing AR QR Codes in Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok posts and ads. Users can tap to try on products or access unique filters.
- Events and trade shows: Make in-person activations more engaging with AR QR Codes on booths, banners, or event passes. Attendees can scan to access AR product demos or play interactive games.
- Print ads and billboards: Bring traditional advertising to life by adding AR QR Codes to magazines, posters, or outdoor billboards. A scan could reveal animated content, special promotions, or location-based rewards.
Increasing accessibility
One of the biggest barriers to AR adoption is accessibility. Some AR experiences require specialized headsets, which can be prohibitively expensive for both businesses and consumers. Even AR apps require users to download additional software, creating friction that can discourage engagement.
QR Codes eliminate these obstacles, making AR widely accessible. There’s no need for costly equipment or downloads. Consumers simply scan the code with their smartphone and instantly access the AR experience.
This frictionless approach removes barriers to entry, ensuring more users engage with your AR content—boosting reach and maximizing marketing impact.
Gaining valuable insights
Dynamic AR QR Codes don’t just unlock immersive experiences—they also generate a wealth of insights marketers can use to enhance campaign effectiveness.
Dynamic QR Codes are editable, meaning marketers can update the destination URL even after printing. But they’re also trackable, generating real-time data on the total number of scans, unique scans, timing of scans, locations, and devices used.
These metrics enable marketers to create data-driven AR campaigns, measuring the effectiveness of their AR experiences and refining their approach as needed.
For example, if a retail brand puts an AR QR Code on product packaging and notices higher engagement in certain locations, they can roll out more targeted AR offerings in those areas. Or, if scan numbers aren’t as high as expected, they can tweak the experience or adjust placement to drive better results.
Adopting emerging technologies
Many retailers have yet to integrate AR into their operations, despite overwhelming consumer interest. This gap presents a golden opportunity for early adopters. Brands that invest in AR now can leapfrog ahead of competitors, capturing consumer attention before AR becomes solidly mainstream.
Nike is a prime example. The brand embraced AR early with Nike Fit, an AI-powered tool that helps customers find the perfect shoe size when ordering online. This innovation boosted customer satisfaction and reduced returns, but it also strengthened Nike’s reputation as a tech-forward brand committed to enhancing the shopping experience.
Potential use cases for augmented reality with QR Codes
There are countless ways to use QR Codes with augmented reality features. Here are some examples across sectors.
Retail
Augmented reality can enhance the shopping experience both in-store and online. Beauty retailers with an in-store presence can use these codes to facilitate virtual try-ons, enabling shoppers to visualize exactly how products will look on their skin. Online fashion retailers can use AR to create virtual fitting rooms where shoppers can “try on” clothes in their homes before ordering.
Education
Augmented reality can bring educational content to life in a way that books and presentations can’t match. Instead of reading about a topic, students can become truly immersed in it. In science lessons, for example, teachers can use AR QR Codes to take students on a tour of the solar system. Or, in history lessons, they can transport students to centuries gone by.
Beyond being a memorable experience, AR enhances learning retention, helping students better understand complex subjects and perform more effectively in exams. In essence, by turning it into an experience, AR makes learning not just more exciting but more effective.
Museums and galleries
Many museums already use QR Codes to share guided audio tours and informational materials with their visitors. With AR, you can take this a step further, turning exhibits into immersive, interactive experiences.
Visitors can point their cameras at an ancient artifact to see a digital reconstruction of how it originally looked. AR QR Codes can even animate dinosaur skeletons, showing them as they once roamed the Earth.
In addition to enhancing education, these experiences have viral potential. They encourage visitors to share their discoveries on social media, driving word-of-mouth buzz and attracting more people through the doors.
Advertising
Brands can use augmented reality to turn advertising into an experience. Take a video game brand that’s launching a new product. A video game QR Code on billboards can transport users into the game’s virtual world, offering a hands-on preview that boosts excitement and engagement.
But AR QR Codes can do much more than advertising products. They’re also a fantastic tool for brand storytelling. Just look at Audible’s “There’s More to Imagine When You Listen” campaign, which turned digital billboards into interactive portals. The AR experience lets users peer into fictional universes inspired by popular Audible Originals and other well-known books.
If you want to use AR in your adverts, don’t be afraid to get creative! Of course, you can use AR for product demos. But you can also use it to craft a narrative that showcases your brand’s values, mission, and identity.
Entertainment
AR is transforming entertainment, driving viral buzz and enhancing participation for film, TV, and music brands. At concerts and sporting events, AR QR Codes can improve the fan experience by unlocking immersive behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive artist interactions, or AR sporting experiences that enhance the live action.
For film and TV, AR can boost marketing campaigns, capturing attention and increasing audience reach. In anticipation of the release of Gladiator II, Cinemark introduced a novel collectible: the AR-ena Popcorn Bucket.
This limited-edition bucket resembled a Roman Colosseum and had an AR QR Code on the bottom. When scanned with a smartphone, the code activated an AR experience, projecting a gladiator fight through the screen.
Home Improvement
For home and furniture retailers, AR QR Codes can bring the in-store experience to customers’ homes, allowing them to see precisely how products will fit in their space before purchasing.
With these codes, shoppers can see 3D models of furniture projected in any given room, helping them assess size, fit, and aesthetics with confidence. Beyond being a fun, memorable experience, these visualizations can help customers feel assured about their purchase, leading to higher conversion rates and reducing the likelihood of returns.
The future of interactive technology: QR and AR
Right now is the perfect time for brands to invest in AR. The technology is only going to become more widespread in the years to come. Early adopters can cement themselves as forward-thinking, customer-centric brands, eager to delight their audiences and give them the best shopping experiences possible.
While creating dedicated AR apps takes time and investment, AR QR Codes enable brands to move quickly and iterate as they go. Combined, these two technologies make for the perfect springboard for brands looking to leap into the world of AR.
How Bitly can help
Bitly’s customizable QR Codes make it simple to create, manage, and track AR-capable QR Codes. While you’ll need to create your AR marker using a separate platform, it’s simple to upload it to the Bitly platform and place it in the center of your QR Code. So you get all the functionality of an AR QR Code—without having to write your own code.
The intuitive platform allows users of all skill levels to generate unique QR Codes for marketing AR content in seconds. With options to customize logos, colors, and design elements, businesses can seamlessly integrate AR markers while maintaining a professional, on-brand look.
Bitly Codes work across multiple touchpoints—websites, billboards, in-store displays—ensuring businesses in any industry can connect customers to interactive AR content.
Plus, organizations can track their QR Codes’ impact with precision. The Bitly Analytics dashboard provides real-time insights into scan volume, location (city/country), time, and device type. These metrics help businesses measure engagement, refine their AR experiences, and optimize campaigns.
Explore the unmatched potential of augmented reality with QR Codes
AR might seem like a nice-to-have, but it’s fast becoming a must for brands looking to create deep, meaningful customer relationships. Brands large and small can use AR to help their target audiences make informed purchasing decisions, add excitement to the customer experience, and ultimately, drive sales.
With Bitly Codes, it’s quick and easy to bring your AR ideas to life. Our intuitive platform enables you to create fully customized, Dynamic AR QR Codes in just minutes. You can share your codes any and everywhere—on packaging, billboards, social media, and more. Plus, with built-in advanced analytics, it’s never been easier to track ROI and optimize AR campaign performance.
Ready to unleash the power of AR in your marketing strategy? Find the right Bitly plan to help you reach your marketing goals!
