Today’s consumer journey is anything but linear. People move between online and offline touchpoints—scrolling through social media, passing by billboards, and even scanning a QR Code before making a purchase.
To make sense of these complex paths, marketers need a multi-touch marketing attribution strategy that tracks every interaction leading to a buying decision. This is where QR Codes truly stand out.
While they may appear simple, QR Codes are a powerful tool for tracking customer behavior across channels. They seamlessly connect the physical and digital worlds ensuring every interaction is captured. With the right strategy, each scan provides valuable insights, helping you pinpoint which campaigns drive real results.
In this guide, we explore how QR Code scans enhance multi-touch attribution, helping you optimize marketing spend and gain a clearer picture of your customer’s journey.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What is multi-touch attribution?
Multi-touch attribution accounts for all the interactions a consumer has with a brand during their journey to a sale or conversion. It tracks how different campaigns and channels—social media, display ads, or billboards—work together to influence the purchasing decision, evaluating how each engagement point contributes to the outcome.
This approach contrasts with single-touch attribution models, which credit only one interaction, typically either the first touchpoint (the one that made the customer aware of the brand) or the last (the one that directly preceded the purchase).
However, modern customer journeys are often non-linear, with customers engaging with a brand across multiple channels and over long periods before making a decision.
For instance, a potential customer might first see a brand in an influencer’s social media post, engage with a retargeting ad a few weeks later, scan a QR code on a poster the following month, and finally make a purchase during an in-store visit. Such journeys can stretch over weeks or even years, making multi-touch attribution essential for capturing the complete picture of customer behavior.
Types of multi-touch attribution models
Marketers have the flexibility to determine how much weight each touchpoint receives in the attribution model, depending on the campaign’s goals and the specific industry’s dynamics. While custom approaches are common, there are several widely used multi-touch attribution models that serve as a foundation for evaluating interactions:
- Linear attribution: Provides equal credit to all engagement points along the customer’s journey, offering a straightforward way to measure the cumulative impact of each interaction.
- Time decay attribution: Places more emphasis on the touchpoints closest to the conversion, based on the idea that interactions near the point of purchase have a greater influence. The last touch point receives the most credit, with progressively less weight given to earlier interactions.
- Position-based attribution: Heavily weights the first and last touchpoints, while the interactions in between receive smaller, equal shares of the credit.
- W-shaped attribution: Credits three key points: the first interaction, the last touchpoint, and major conversion events (such as signing up for a newsletter). Other touchpoints still receive attribution but with much less weight.
| Time-delay attribution | Linear attribution | Position-based attribution | W-shaped attribution | |
| First touchpoint | Least weighted | Equal weight to all other touchpoints | Equal weight to last touchpoint | Equal weight to last touchpoint |
| Last touch point | Most weighted | Equal weight to all other touchpoints | Equal weight to first touchpoint | Equal weight to first touchpoint |
| Credit distribution | Credit increases the closer to the point of purchase | Equal amount of credit given to all touchpoints | Touchpoints between first and last get less credit | Touchpoints between first and last weighted based on importance |
Why is multi-touch attribution important for marketers?
Data collection remains a significant challenge for marketers, and while multi-touch attribution doesn’t eliminate this, it does address several key issues. By using multi-touch attribution, you can evaluate how different interactions throughout the consumer journey work together, giving you a comprehensive view of how customers engage with your brand.
This holistic view is crucial for understanding the true impact of each campaign or piece of content, helping you calculate your return on investment (ROI) more accurately. It also informs your future budget by identifying which channels drive the most meaningful interactions, ensuring resources and funding are appropriately allocated.
Multi-touch attribution reflects the complexity of modern consumer journeys more accurately than single-touch models. It also reduces data silos by visualizing how different marketing channels interact and support one another, rather than measuring them in isolation.
How QR Codes enhance multi-touch attribution
QR Codes significantly enhance attribution modeling in marketing by offering trackable data points that connect digital and physical interactions, providing valuable insights into offline engagement—something that used to be tough to track!
For example, QR Codes for app downloads allow brands to seamlessly direct users from physical touchpoints—like in-store posters or flyers—straight to the app store via URL, making it easy to measure conversions from offline marketing to app engagement.
Connecting offline engagement with online customer journeys
QR Codes make it easy to track how customers interact with offline marketing. When someone scans a QR Code after seeing a poster on the subway or a billboard, it’s a clear indicator that the message was compelling enough to get them to take action.
By capturing QR Code scans, marketers can track offline engagement with the same precision they use for online clicks. This means you can evaluate the effectiveness of offline and online touchpoints together, giving you a more accurate view of the entire customer journey as it shifts between physical and digital environments.
Capturing real-time engagement data
QR Codes provide precise, real-time data that can be invaluable for understanding campaign performance. Bitly’s QR Codes allow you to track scans down to the city level (with some paid plans), helping you see where your campaigns resonate geographically. You can also access detailed timestamps, analyze engagement trends over time, and identify which channels drive the most scans.
Enhancing content personalization
The granular data gathered from QR Code scans also allows for more personalized marketing. You can A/B test different messages by assigning unique QR Codes to each version, then compare scan rates to see which one resonates with your target audience.
Additionally, scan data can help personalize content delivery based on factors such as location, time of day, or ad placement, helping you refine your campaigns to meet the needs of specific audiences.
Measuring cross-channel performance
QR Codes are incredibly versatile, working across multiple channels and providing a common data point for measuring performance. This makes it possible to compare traditionally hard-to-measure channels like billboards and TV ads, using QR Code scans as a unifying metric.
By understanding which channels drive the most engagement, you can make more informed decisions about your budget and optimize marketing spend across digital and physical touchpoints.
How to set up QR Codes for multi-touch attribution in marketing campaigns
Setting up QR Codes for attribution is straightforward. Once you create an account with Bitly, you can use our customizable QR Code generator to start tracking interactions effectively.
- Select the destination URL for each specific touchpoint.
- Generate a unique QR Code for each touchpoint in your campaign to ensure clear attribution.
- Label each QR Code using the “title” field to identify the associated touchpoint.
- Customize the QR Code with your brand colors, logo, and other design elements for seamless integration into your marketing materials.
- Test the QR Codes on smartphones and tablets before distributing to ensure they scan smoothly.
- Download and place the QR Codes on each touchpoint asset.
- Monitor scan data in Bitly Analytics to evaluate which touchpoints drive the most engagement.
Designing QR Codes for attribution
Standard QR Codes might not be the most visually appealing element in marketing, but with the right customization, you can turn them into an attractive and integral part of your branding!
Imagine being able to scan a custom QR Code featuring your brand’s logo rather than just the generic black-and-white pixels. Creative touches like this catch customers’ attention and inspire them to engage.
Incorporating brand colors, your logo, and other design elements into QR Codes enhances brand alignment and boosts interaction. Bright colors, creative designs, and compelling CTAs can encourage customers to take out their smartphones and scan. Custom QR Codes offer a subtle yet effective way to boost attribution, helping you track engagement across multiple points while enhancing your brand’s visibility.
Choosing Dynamic QR Codes
Unlike Static QR Codes, which can’t be redirected once created, Dynamic QR Codes provide flexibility by allowing you to change the destination URL without needing to reprint marketing materials. This feature is particularly valuable for long-running campaigns involving billboards, posters, or product packaging.
Dynamic QR Codes also offer tracking features (Static codes cannot be tracked), making it easier to adjust your campaigns without losing attribution data on how each touchpoint is performing.
Setting up tracking parameters
UTM codes—a snippet of text added to the end of a URL to track campaign metrics—are essential for tracking each touchpoint in your multi-touch attribution model. They can help you compare and analyze codes and links against one another to see which marketing channels, mediums, and CTAs are performing best.
This is especially important for large, complex campaigns where tracking multiple channels—both online and offline—is key to understanding performance.
Choosing the right landing pages
If a customer scans a code for a sale on women’s shoes but is directed to a general retail homepage, they likely won’t be willing to scour your site for the sale—they’ll just lose interest and leave. It’s a negative user experience. To prevent this, direct them to a custom landing page URL that matches the intent of the QR Code, such as a dedicated sales page highlighting the specific products they’re interested in.
Tailoring your landing pages to align with the message that enticed the customer to scan in the first place ensures higher engagement and a smoother user experience. It also makes it easier to accurately attribute a sale to a QR Code touchpoint.
With Bitly Pages, you can easily create customized landing pages that you can seamlessly link with your QR Code campaigns. As part of the Bitly Connections Platform, you can also access page engagement data through Bitly Analytics. This will give you deeper insights into how customers interact with your landing pages.
Ensuring cross-device compatibility
It’s common practice to test your QR Codes on your own device but to ensure a smooth experience for all customers, you should test them across various devices, operating systems, and browsers.
Different platforms may handle QR Codes differently, so thorough testing ensures your codes will scan effortlessly no matter what device your customers use.
Monitoring and testing performance
QR Codes are more than just a tool to compare touchpoint performance—they’re also perfect for A/B testing your marketing messages. By attaching different QR Codes to various campaign versions, you can test which messages resonate best with your audience.
This continuous testing enables you to optimize your interaction points over time, ensuring your ads are always as engaging and effective as possible.
Can you integrate QR Codes into existing multi-touch attribution models?
Integrating QR Codes into existing marketing attribution models can seem complex initially, but Bitly simplifies the process by offering highly granular information such as scan location, device type, referrer source, and time of engagement. These insights are critical for tracking the customer journey across touchpoints. Additionally, using UTMs enables even more detailed campaign tracking, seamlessly fitting into your current attribution models.
For advanced users, Bitly provides API integration to connect scan data to CRM systems. This feature makes it easy to automatically incorporate QR Code scan data into multi-touch attribution models, enabling real-time analysis of customer interactions.
With linear models
In a linear attribution model, all touchpoints are given equal weight in contributing to a conversion. Create a unique QR Code for each touchpoint in your campaign and track scan data. Each QR Code’s performance would receive equal credit toward the conversion within your attribution system.
With time decay models
Time decay models assign more weight to touchpoints occuring closer to your point of conversion. Bitly’s QR Codes make this easy by tracking the exact time a scan occurs, allowing you to see which interactions happen just before a purchase.
Create unique QR Codes for each touchpoint and, in your attribution system, assign progressively higher weights to the scans closest to the final conversion event. The highest weight will be assigned to the interaction associated with the QR Code scanned last, while the earliest touchpoint receives the least weight.
With position-based models
Position-based models give more weight to the first and last touchpoints in the customer journey, with less emphasis on those in between. QR Codes integrate well into this model because they allow you to track when a customer interacts with a specific touchpoint. In this case, the first and last scans would receive the most attribution, while the in-between scans would receive smaller but equal credit.
Tips for analyzing QR Code data for attribution insights
After collecting data from your QR Codes, the real challenge is turning it into actionable insights. Large datasets can be overwhelming, but the following strategies will help you analyze and extract meaningful insights effectively.
Identify key performance metrics
First, define the metrics that align with your campaign’s goals. If you aim to drive sales, focus on conversion rates. If brand awareness is your primary objective, consider scan rates a key indicator. No matter which KPIs you identify, ensure that you’re using a third-party analytics tool that can measure it, like Google Analytics. Clearly defined KPIs will guide your analysis and help you determine what success looks like.
Use segmentation for deeper understanding
Bitly’s detailed QR Code metrics allow you to segment your audiences for more granular analysis. Evaluate performance based on factors such as geographic location, time of day, seasonality, and device type.
For example, does scan activity increase during specific times or regions? Are QR Codes in certain locations driving more conversions than others? This level of segmentation helps you better understand your audience’s behavior and refine your strategy accordingly.
Marketers can improve their messaging and placement by identifying trends in scan data, improving future campaigns, and driving higher ROI.
Segmentation can also help you identify potential issues. For instance, if you notice zero scans from Android users, it may indicate that the QR Code isn’t compatible with Android devices, signaling a need for further testing or adjustments.
Visualize the data with heatmaps
Heatmaps are an excellent tool for visualizing trends in QR Code scan data. Different colors represent the intensity of scans, with red typically indicating the highest engagement. This makes it easy to spot areas of high activity or identify underperforming regions.
Heatmaps are especially useful when presenting complex data trends to stakeholders, as they offer a clear, visual representation of performance.
Tools like Tableau and Excel make it easy to transform large datasets into heatmaps for a more intuitive analysis.
Connect QR Code data with customer personas
Using the QR Code data to build or refine customer personas can help personalize your campaigns. You might identify a customer who frequently scans your ads for months before making a purchase. On the other hand, another customer might impulse-buy after scanning a QR Code promoting a flash sale.
Understanding these behaviors allows you to tailor your messaging to each persona, creating a more personalized and impactful marketing strategy.
Use AI for predictive insights
With the rise of AI tools in marketing, predictive analytics may soon play a significant role in shaping campaigns. These tools have the potential to forecast customer behavior based on historical data.
To prepare for this shift, marketers need rich, detailed datasets that include offline and real-world behaviors. QR Code data, which tracks interactions across physical and digital environments, will be a valuable asset for making accurate predictions about customer journeys.
Examples of successful multi-touch attribution with QR Codes
QR Codes have become a ubiquitous tool in modern marketing, appearing on everything from menus and product packaging to advertisements and event tickets. We even use QR Codes for purchasing and paying bills. Their simplicity and ease of use make them valuable for driving customer engagement and tracking offline-to-online interactions.
Real-world campaigns use QR Codes in creative and engaging ways, inviting customers to scan through innovative designs and strong calls to action. These campaigns often compel customers to scan for additional information, exclusive offers, or further interaction.
Retail campaign
Brands like BruceGlen are leveraging QR Codes on their clothing tags to increase customer engagement with videos, styling tips, and even sustainability measures. With growing consumer interest in product origin, materials, and ethical practices, retail QR Codes offer an opportunity to deliver detailed information right in the store. Shoppers can scan the QR Code to learn more about the product, check sustainability credentials, or even see related items.
By capturing a shopper’s attention in-store and transitioning that engagement online, brands can continue building customer relationships through social media, retargeting, and personalized online experiences.
QR Codes also provide valuable data—such as the location of scans—that retail brands can use to track where scans originate and which stores or cities are performing best. This insight helps marketers determine if their physical touchpoints are effectively driving conversions.
Event marketing
The 2024 Paris Olympics successfully implemented QR Codes as a core element of their event management. The “Games Pass” was a QR Code-driven security feature that allowed access to different zones throughout the city. Each time an attendee moved between zones, their Games Pass had to be scanned, providing real-time data on crowd movement and security checkpoints.
This concept can be applied to conventions, festivals, or other large-scale events where QR Code scans can track which sessions or booths customers engage with most. By analyzing this information, event organizers can create detailed customer profiles based on attendee behavior, such as which events they attended, how long they stayed, and their level of engagement. This insight allows for better personalization and planning for future events.
Digital ads
While QR Codes aren’t typically used in traditional digital ads where selectable links may be easier, they can be valuable in specific cases where cross-device engagement is a priority.
- Second-screen experiences: QR Codes are highly effective in digital ads during live streams or events, where viewers can scan a code from their TV or desktop with their mobile device. This offers an easy way to access exclusive content or make purchases on mobile while watching on a larger screen, creating a smooth cross-device experience.
- Cross-device retargeting: QR Codes can enhance cross-device retargeting by moving users from one device to another via an ad. For example, Burger King’s campaign during the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) embedded QR Codes in a video ad, encouraging viewers to scan the code with their phones.
The QR Code directed users to download the Burger King app, seamlessly transitioning them from a TV to a mobile experience. This approach played to modern consumer behavior by taking advantage of viewers’ multi-device habits, turning a passive TV ad into interactive, actionable engagement on mobile.
By incorporating QR Codes into these digital touchpoints, brands can track user engagement across multiple devices and offer a more tailored user experience.
Print media
QR Codes are increasingly appearing in print media, from newspapers and magazines to subway ads. The Fair Justice Housing Center, for instance, launched a subway ad campaign in New York City to raise awareness about housing discrimination. The ads featured QR Codes that linked directly to an online complaint form, providing a seamless way for individuals to take immediate action.
By using unique QR Codes for different versions of the ad, the campaign could track which ad placements generated the most responses. QR Code data, including location tracking, would also reveal which neighborhoods and subway lines had the highest engagement.
This would allow the organization to identify areas where the issue resonated most and where further outreach efforts might be necessary, optimizing their marketing strategy for greater impact.
Best practices for optimizing multi-touch attribution with QR Code analytics
Maximizing insights from QR Codes in multi-touch attribution requires thoughtful planning and strategy. By following these best practices, you can ensure your QR Code data contributes effectively to your marketing campaigns.
Regular data audits
Conducting regular audits of your QR Code data helps maintain the accuracy and integrity of your database. Audits allow you to eliminate duplicates, update outdated information, and ensure compliance with data privacy laws.
Aligning QR Codes with customer journey stages
When assigning QR Codes to different touchpoints, it’s important to align them with specific stages of the customer journey—whether top-of-funnel (awareness), middle-of-funnel (consideration), or bottom-of-funnel (conversion).
For industries like consumer packaged goods (CPG), knowing how to use QR Codes for CPG brands can help track customer interactions from product packaging, in-store displays, and beyond. Labeling QR Codes based on these stages allows you to measure the effectiveness of each part of the journey and optimize for stronger performance down the funnel.
Enhancing engagement with interactive content
QR Codes for advertisers offer a dynamic way to transform a physical touchpoint into a gateway to engaging digital content. This content can range from simple videos or quizzes to immersive virtual shops or augmented reality (AR) experiences.
For example, Toyota’s 2023 AR campaign for the Toyota Crown took QR engagement to a new level. Digital out-of-home ads featured codes that, when scanned, launched a 3D AR experience on users’ phones. Customers could interact with the car in real time—rotating it, changing its colors, and even simulating a test drive—without needing to download an app.
This immersive experience allowed Toyota to engage customers more deeply, integrating digital content with the physical environment while providing valuable insights into user engagement.
These innovative campaigns not only provide a fun experience for customers but also significantly boost brand interactions. Plus, QR Code scans serve as valuable data points to track customer interactions across touchpoints.
Testing and iterating QR Code strategies
Optimizing your marketing efforts involves continuous experimentation and refinement, and QR Code strategies are no different. Don’t be afraid to take risks with innovative campaigns that push the boundaries of traditional marketing. However, always follow up and analyze the information later to assess what worked and what didn’t.
Iteration based on real data helps you fine-tune your approach over time, ensuring that your strategies evolve with your audience and market trends.
How Bitly’s QR Codes work best for multi-touch attribution
QR Codes may look similar on the surface, but the technology behind them can vary. Bitly Codes are designed to provide deeper insights and enhanced functionality, giving your campaigns a competitive edge.
Advanced tracking and analytics
Bitly Codes deliver comprehensive insights that empower you to track customer behavior more effectively, giving you a clearer view of engagement across your campaigns. The Bitly Analytics dashboard is user-friendly and allows you to monitor essential metrics, such as scan location, device type, and time of engagement, helping you understand customer behavior in greater detail.
Bitly also seamlessly integrates with CRM tools, allowing you to combine QR Code data with your broader campaign data for an in-depth view of your overall performance.
Customization and branding options
Custom QR Codes can become a visually appealing part of your campaign. Bitly’s QR Code customization features allow you to integrate your brand identity into every scan, making your codes stand out as part of your ad imagery rather than an afterthought. You can personalize codes with brand colors, incorporate logos, and select from different patterns and corner styles.
Customized QR Codes don’t just look better—they also improve the likelihood of engagement, ensuring you capture more valuable data. Adding frames and compelling CTAs further enhances the visibility and effectiveness of your QR Codes, ensuring they align perfectly with your campaign’s look and feel.
Seamless integration with attribution platforms
Bitly easily connects with popular attribution platforms and CRMs, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, enabling you to sync data with your existing systems. This integration allows you to track customer journeys across multiple touchpoints and apply your preferred attribution model—or even create a customized one to gain deeper insights.
What other tools do you need to make this work in your marketing strategies?
While your QR Code tool is a key component of your multi-touch attribution strategy, it works best when combined with other tools. For a complete, data-driven workflow, consider using:
- Google Analytics: In combination with UTM tracking, GA provides detailed insights into campaign performance across different channels.
- Data visualization tools: Platforms like Excel or Tableau can help you turn raw data into easy-to-understand visuals, such as charts or heatmaps.
- CRM and attribution tools: Seamless integration with tools like Salesforce and Hubspot allows you to manage data and track attribution effortlessly.
- Graphic design tools: Software like Canva allows you to create visually appealing marketing materials that incorporate your customized QR Codes—no design skills required.
Bitly offers built-in integrations with most of these tools, ensuring your QR Code data fits into your overall marketing strategy.
Future trends in multi-touch attribution and QR Codes to know
QR Codes will remain central to innovative campaigns that blend the digital and physical worlds as marketing continues to evolve. Here are some key trends to watch:
AI and machine learning improvements
One of the ongoing challenges with multi-touch attribution is accurately tracking the true complexity of modern customer journeys. While multi-touch attribution has been a significant improvement over single-touch models, AI and machine learning are poised to further enhance attribution accuracy. By using machine learning to analyze non-linear journeys, AI could soon make multi-touch models even more sophisticated.
Growing emphasis on privacy and security
With increasing concerns over data privacy, more regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA are being enacted to protect consumer information. Partnering with platforms like Bitly, which prioritize trust and safety, will be crucial to maintaining customer confidence and staying compliant with evolving privacy laws.
Omnichannel integrations
One of the most valuable aspects of QR Codes is their ability to track offline touchpoints, which are traditionally harder to measure. Bitly QR Codes provide detailed data, such as location, device type, and engagement time, giving marketers a holistic view of customer behavior across online and offline channels.
As technology and analytics tools improve, QR Codes will become even more integral to tracking the effectiveness of offline campaigns.
Start using QR Code insights to maximize your multi-touch attributions
QR Codes are a powerful tool for connecting offline and online interactions, providing key data points that enrich your multi-touch attribution model. With Bitly’s Custom QR Codes and advanced tracking, you can capture detailed insights, track customer behavior across channels, and optimize campaign performance.
Designed for marketers with complex needs, Bitly’s platform offers seamless integration with popular attribution and CRM tools, ensuring your data fits into your overall digital marketing strategy. Brands that fully integrate QR Codes into their attribution models will not only stay ahead of competitors but also gain a deeper understanding of their customer journeys—critical for long-term success.
Start optimizing your attribution model today with Bitly’s QR Codes—track offline interactions, unify your data, and take your campaign to the next level!
