Thirty years after their invention, Quick Response (QR) Codes have seen a remarkable surge in popularity. As retail marketing adapts to new consumer preferences, savvy retailers are leveraging these solutions to offer customers in-store experiences that combine convenience, engagement, and the sense of control they’ve come to expect online.
QR Codes play a key role in both online and offline retail strategies, helping businesses attract, retain, and inform prospects and customers. With just a simple scan using a smartphone or tablet camera, customers can instantly connect to personalized, touch-free web experiences.
Below, you’ll discover some of the most innovative and inspiring use cases for QR Codes in retail.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
The benefits of QR Codes for retailers
QR Codes are low-cost, highly versatile marketing tools that can enhance your retail strategy. They’re easy to deploy, customize, and track, plus they help you connect digital and in-store marketing efforts, making them one of the most powerful retail solutions available today.
One key advantage of QR Codes is their ability to link to countless content types, including user-generated content (UGC)—which 40% of modern consumers crave. You can use QR Codes to link directly to customer reviews, videos, and photos, providing the authentic, engaging experiences customers increasingly seek.
Here’s a closer look at some of the key benefits these innovations bring to the table:
Versatility
There are endless QR Code use cases in the retail industry. These handy solutions can facilitate contactless payments, offer loyalty discounts, provide in-depth product information, and direct customers to your online store. No matter what online destination you want to drive your target audience to, these solutions provide a simple and effective way to get them there.
The best part? They’re incredibly easy to create—all you need is a URL for your destination and a reliable QR Code generator.
Additionally, QR Codes can be seamlessly integrated across a variety of materials, including product packaging, posters, brochures, or even in-app promotions, boosting retail purchases.
Brand customization
Worried about standing out with QR Codes? You don’t need to be. Bitly’s QR Codes offer extensive customization features to help you reflect your brand’s unique identity.
Instead of the typical black-and-white code, you can use your brand’s colors, add your logo to the center, or opt for unique patterns and call-to-action (CTA) frames. A custom QR Code increases brand recognition, distinguishes your products from competitors, and reinforces trust and reliability.
Easy implementation
One of the best things about QR Codes for retail purchasing is how easy they are to implement with Bitly. There’s no need for advanced tech skills—simply prepare the content you want to link to, copy its URL, use Bitly’s reliable generator to create and customize your codes, and then add them to your marketing assets.
And it’s not just the creation that’s simple—using QR Codes is easy too. Since nearly every modern smartphone comes equipped with a camera, QR Code scanning is as simple as pointing the device at the code.
Tracking and analysis
With QR Code tracking through Bitly Analytics, you can easily monitor engagement and gain valuable insights to guide your marketing decisions. You can also export data to other dashboards or analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, for a deeper dive into your performance.
With Bitly, you can track key data points like:
- Total number of scans
- Unique scans
- Devices used to scan
- Scans by location (city/country)
- Scans by time of day
This data helps you understand which campaigns or promotions are performing best, which locations had the most scans, and which devices people used most frequently. This information can inform future marketing strategies and help you improve customer targeting for better outcomes.
Omnichannel applications
QR Codes are an effective way to connect customers to online shopping opportunities from wherever they are. Whether you place QR Codes on end caps, TV ads, outdoor billboards, or promotional swag, they help broaden your reach and boost sales.
Many brands are already using QR Codes for omnichannel marketing. For example, leading electric bike brand Rad Power Bikes uses QR Codes to enhance retail experiences by linking codes to online product pages and printing them on hang tags.
This allows customers to seamlessly access the brand’s website from physical locations with a single scan, connecting their in-store and online shopping experiences.
The best ways to use QR Codes in retail environments
With proper implementation, QR Codes can level the playing field for small businesses. Here are some effective ways small retailers can compete with QR Codes:
Share product details and reviews
Providing product information and reviews is an excellent way to build trust and encourage purchases. Fortunately, QR Codes make this process easy. Simply link them to URLs containing product specifications, ingredient details, allergen information, or customer reviews. Then add the codes to product packaging or tags to instill confidence in your customers.
You can also create interactive store displays by linking QR Codes to pages with engaging content, like behind-the-scenes videos or product tutorials. When you understand what your customers want to see, you can use QR Codes to meet their needs and enhance the shopping experience.
Example: A grocery store owner can add Bitly Codes to food packaging that direct buyers to landing pages with nutritional information or video tutorial recipes.
Offer exclusive discounts and promotions
Discounts are one of the most effective ways to drive purchases. The proof is in the numbers—62% of shoppers will put off clothing purchases until a discount is available. Further, 86% of online shoppers are more likely to try a new brand if they have a coupon. Clearly, discounts and promotions are powerful tools.
QR Codes make it easy for customers to access exclusive offers, potentially increasing interest in your store. To make the most of them, create landing pages with special discounts, flash sales, or loyalty program offers. Then, embed the pages’ URLs into QR Codes and place them in prominent areas with clear CTAs so customers know exactly what to expect when they scan.
Example: A clothing retailer can place a QR Code at their checkout counter, giving customers instant access to a limited-time discount.
Streamline payments and self-checkout
With cash usage declining since the pandemic—accounting for just 5% of consumer payments in card-first markets like the United States—it’s important to offer an option for contactless payments. QR Codes provide the perfect solution.
These two-dimensional barcodes can link customers to payment landing pages, allowing them to pay using mobile wallets instead of physical cash. This improves the customer experience, giving customers the option to save time by paying online, and also boosts efficiency by minimizing lines at checkout.
For maximum impact, place your payment QR Codes on signage near the checkout counter to encourage interaction and ensure visibility.
Example: A retail store can set up a self-checkout station and display a QR Code linked to a payment page, streamlining the process for customers who prefer to pay online.
Gather customer feedback and reviews
Customer opinions are essential for continuous improvement in both products and services. Use QR Codes to collect this valuable input by linking directly to post-purchase surveys or feedback forms. By offering instant access to your feedback collection page, QR Codes can encourage more shoppers to share their thoughts.
Example: A store can link a Bitly Code to a quick satisfaction survey and print it on signage near the exit or on customers’ receipts. Using Bitly, you can also monitor scan rates, geolocation data, and device types in real time via Bitly Analytics.
Drive traffic to online stores
QR Codes are a great way to boost online purchases by driving traffic directly to your ecommerce platform or website. This is especially useful if you have sold-out items or don’t stock certain products in-store.
Example: A furniture store can place QR Codes on showpieces that link to product pages with additional color and fabric selections, making it easy for customers to find pieces that fit their style.
Promote loyalty programs, newsletters, and apps
QR Codes can encourage app downloads, loyalty program sign-ups, and newsletter subscriptions. Instead of having to search for your app or website manually, customers can simply scan a designated code with their mobile devices, reducing friction, streamlining processes, and increasing participation.
Example: A clothing store with a mobile app can create a landing page with app download links. They can then link the landing page URL to a QR Code and add it to signage around the store and in marketing materials.
Examples of QR Codes in retail stores
As in-store retail picks up post-pandemic, businesses can harness the power of QR Codes to improve shopping experiences. Here are a few creative ways real businesses are using this solution:
Foamy Wader: QR Codes for literal window shopping
Small business Foamy Wader is leveraging QR Codes in its store in various ways. The first is facilitating online shopping from physical mediums—the business has added QR Codes linked to its website on its store windows, allowing interested customers to get whatever item they need with a simple scan.
The ingenious part about this strategy is that, by adding the codes to store windows, the brand also captures sales outside regular business hours, as people can scan and shop from the outside.
The business also uses QR Codes to facilitate seamless appointment bookings, direct customers to its social media accounts, showcase mini-collections, and capture new email subscribers, highlighting the versatility of these nifty innovations.
Window shopping at Foamy Wader
Scanbuy: QR Codes on retail product packaging
Some companies comply with U.S. legislation and regulations regarding nutritional information and GMO ingredients on products by using Scanbuy QR Codes. QR Codes let consumers view ingredients, nutritional information, allergens, third-party certifications, usage instructions, social compliance programs, advisories, safe handling instructions, and other product information with a single scan.
Patagonia: Minimize packaging and printing
Instead of printing care instructions, product features, initiatives, or material innovations on hang tags, eco-conscious businesses can opt for QR Codes.
Rather than designing single-use tags, Patagonia adds QR Codes to product packaging. Not only does this allow them to share more information with customers, but it’s also a more cost-effective and sustainable solution. Patagonia’s digital transformation to QR Codes has saved more than 170,000 pounds of single-use paper from landfills.
Walmart: QR Codes for easier returns
Retailers face increasing challenges authenticating items for returns. At Walmart, shoppers store a digital version of their receipt in the mobile app by scanning a QR Code on their physical receipt or entering their phone number at the point of sale. Customers can use the digitized receipts for fast and easy product returns.
Starbucks: Streamline checkout in retail stores
QR Codes allow coffee lovers who use the Starbucks Rewards app to pay from anywhere in the store. Members simply select “Scan & Pay,” swipe to choose their preferred payment method (debit, credit card, or PayPal), and scan the designated QR Code to pay and earn credits.
What’s new in QR Code technology?
A new global standard in QR Codes, called GS1 Digital Link, is being adopted by retail brands worldwide. Over 2 million brands are already using GS1 to take advantage of the new direct-to-consumer mobile interface.
Bitly’s GS1-compliant 2D Barcode solution is at the forefront of this revolution. In addition to the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), these barcodes contain web links that consumers can access with their smartphones. This empowers them to learn more about the products they’re buying, as 2D Barcodes hold much more information than traditional 1D codes.
With GS1-compliant 2D Barcodes, retail businesses can:
- Connect packaging and products to digital content, such as promotions, product information, reviews, recipes, videos, and social media.
- Enhance the customer experience at any point in the consumer journey with a single scan.
- Increase efficiency by automating data capture and reducing human errors in product information management.
- Implement personalized marketing campaigns using real-time data from customer interactions with the barcode.
- Boost sustainability efforts by reducing paper and packaging waste through digitization.
The new standard also enables traceability and better supply chain management. Businesses can introduce 2D Barcodes to track products from production to consumer, providing greater transparency and accountability.
Deliver a better retail experience with QR Codes
QR Codes can significantly enhance customer engagement, streamline shopping experiences, and drive online traffic. By bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds, QR Codes help retailers connect with customers in innovative ways—whether it’s offering instant promotions, simplifying checkout, or gathering valuable feedback.
Additionally, these codes support sustainability by reducing paper usage and waste, making them an eco-friendly choice for forward-thinking retailers.
Bitly enables retailers to connect their offline and online strategies seamlessly. With the Bitly Connections Platform, you can create, customize, manage, and track QR Codes and links, gaining insights that allow you to measure success, optimize your retail marketing efforts, and support sustainability initiatives.
Get started for free today to enhance customers’ experiences and strengthen your retail marketing campaigns!
