A Quick-Start Guide to E-Commerce Marketing With QR Codes

When today’s consumers are looking to make a purchase, they head to their favorite e-commerce platforms. With the rise of online shopping, you can access products from around the world at your fingertips. This has created expectations of ease and convenience when purchasing products online.

One way to streamline the e-commerce experience for your audience is to use QR Codes. These powerful barcodes take your customers from your marketing assets to your e-commerce store with a quick scan. Here’s your guide to building a digital marketing strategy with QR Codes.

QR Codes: The ideal e-commerce marketing tool

QR Codes may be small, but they have big benefits for your marketing strategy. Here’s why QR Code marketing is so effective for e-commerce platforms.

Your audience already knows what they are

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses started using QR Codes instead of paper menus to prevent the spread of germs. While COVID-19 restrictions may have ended, many businesses still use QR Codes to share information quickly and create a great customer experience.

QR Codes are instantly recognizable to most consumers. Recent research indicates that 48% of Americans scan QR Codes several times per month. Most modern smartphones have built-in QR Code scanning features, making them straightforward to use.

Place QR Codes on any marketing asset

QR Codes are a flexible tool that you can use with almost any marketing asset, including social media posts, print materials, and website landing pages. QR Code Generator PRO has a wide range of QR Code solutions available. Whether you’d like to share videos, increase app downloads, boost social media engagement, or direct your users to a landing page, you can do it all with QR Codes.

Here are some of the QR Code types you can create with QR Code Generator PRO:

Transform static marketing materials into dynamic evergreen assets

Full QR Code customization with QR Code Generator PRO

QR Code Generator PRO customization features

With QR Code Generator PRO, you can fully customize your QR Codes to match your brand identity. You can choose your color scheme, code design, and border shape to make your QR Code pop, and add your logo and a call to action for a professional look. These small details can make your marketing materials more engaging and boost customer engagement levels.

QR Code Generator PRO also offers Dynamic QR Codes for even more flexibility and convenience. With a Dynamic QR Code, you can change the URL the QR Code links to at any point. This allows you to reuse your assets for new marketing campaigns. You can send users to a new destination without having to create a new QR Code.

Create a seamless transition from physical marketing to virtual shopping

QR Codes serve as a link between your physical marketing assets and your e-commerce website. You can place QR Codes on your billboards, magazine ads, or in-store print materials to direct customers to the appropriate product pages on your website.

This streamlines the customer journey, connecting your in-person and online stores with a single scan. When consumers see an exciting product in a physical ad, scanning a QR Code allows them to make a purchase right away. There’s no need to remember long URLs or product names to make a purchase later.

Collect data and easily measure success

With Dynamic QR Codes, you can track engagement metrics to see how your marketing assets are performing. With QR Code Generator PRO, you can track:

  • Scans over time
  • Scans by operating system
  • Scans by country
  • Scans by city
Various scanning data you can track in QR Code Generator PRO
Demo version of QR Code tracking with QR Code Generator PRO

This gives you insight into how many people are scanning your QR Codes, as well as where those scans are coming from. You can use these valuable insights to fine-tune your future marketing efforts and better connect with your audience.

For example, if you are launching an international e-commerce campaign, using QR Codes can help you identify the cities and countries where your target audience is most engaged. With this information, you can create location-specific marketing strategies in the future to boost conversion rates.

How QR Codes can support your digital marketing strategy

An effective e-commerce marketing strategy doesn’t put all its eggs in one basket. Instead, it uses a combination of methods for a diverse online presence. Additionally, many digital marketing methods work more efficiently when combined to boost brand awareness. Here’s how to use QR Codes for e-commerce marketing.

Attract and engage social media followers

Social media is one of the most powerful marketing channels for any e-commerce brand. A large percentage of the population relies heavily on social media platforms to stay connected with others and learn about the latest news and trends. For example, 83% of U.S. adults are on YouTube, while 47% are on Instagram. Building your social media following is one of the easiest ways to share new product information with your audience and generate buzz.

You can use QR Codes to attract more followers on your social media and to send your social media followers to your website. For example, you can put QR Codes on print flyers that link directly to your social media profiles, making it easy for people to follow you.

An example of a QR Code on a paid Instagram ad
An example of a QR Code on a paid Instagram ad

Additionally, you can add QR Codes to your social media posts that link to specific product pages or promotions. When a follower visits your social media page on a desktop, they can scan the QR Code with their mobile device rather than having to enter a link manually.

This is particularly helpful when promoting e-commerce content on Instagram. Instagram doesn’t allow direct links on organic posts—they only appear in plain text. This means you have to add the link you’re promoting to your bio, or place it in an Instagram story. QR Codes solve this issue. Your followers can access information via the QR Code directly, rather than having to search around for the link.

An example of a QR Code on an organic Facebook post
An example of a QR Code on an organic Facebook post

Make it easy for email subscribers to follow your call to action

Don’t underestimate the power of email marketing for your e-commerce business. Email marketing is a very effective way to keep existing customers informed about new products and promotions, as well as convert leads into new customers.

An example of a QR Code in an email to promote social media profiles
An example of a QR Code in an email to promote social media profiles

In order for your email newsletters to make an impact, they need a strong call to action encouraging them to visit your website or make a purchase. However, if there’s no easy way for recipients to follow your call to action, they’ll be unlikely to visit your website and make a purchase.

You can make your CTAs easier to follow by adding a QR Code that directs users to your website. This way, recipients who check emails on their desktop devices can scan the QR Code with their smartphone to check out your website. You can also share email promotions with QR Codes, such as coupon codes, giveaways, and other exclusive deals.

Use your website to drive app store downloads

Many consumers are moving away from shopping in their web browsers and now prefer to shop in e-commerce apps. In fact, one in three consumers prefer mobile shopping apps over mobile websites due to their ease of use.

Example of an App Store QR Code on a website for e-commerce products.
Example of an App Store QR Code on a website for e-commerce products

If you’ve launched a mobile app for your e-commerce brand, you can use QR Codes to direct customers from your website to the app. Create a landing page for the product you want to promote, and add a QR Code linking to the corresponding product page in your mobile app. You can also use QR Codes to link to your download pages on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Encourage magazine readers to shop your ads

While many e-commerce brands today focus primarily on digital marketing, don’t underestimate the power of a classic magazine ad. Print ads showcase your products in the best light with appealing photography and descriptions.

Adding a branded QR Code to your print ads makes it easy for readers to shop right away when they see a product they like. You can also add QR Codes to other physical advertising, such as billboards or print flyers. This improves the user experience, and it also makes it easy to track conversion rates from your print marketing. This can help you determine which print advertising strategies are most effective.

Increase chances that customers will review their purchase

Customer feedback is a powerful tool, and you can use QR Codes to collect it. Consider adding QR Codes to your product packaging that link to a feedback platform. This makes it easy for customers to share their opinions about your products.

This feedback is very helpful for improving your products in the future, and you can also use it as part of your marketing strategy. Seventy-seven percent of consumers seek out sites with reviews when making purchases. You can highlight positive testimonials from past customers in your marketing materials. This builds trust with your audience and can sway potential customers who are on the fence about making a purchase.

Take your e-commerce marketing strategy to the next level with QR Code Generator PRO

Adding QR Codes to your e-commerce marketing strategy can help turn consumer buzz into purchases. They’re a familiar, dynamic, and low-cost way to engage with customers where they already are—on their phones! 

QR Code Generator PRO has the features you need to create sophisticated QR Code campaigns, with versatile customization options and real-time tracking metrics. Generate codes for everything from web banners to social media posts and everything in between, easily boosting your e-commerce marketing efforts.

Sign up today to get started!

Author
Armanii Glaspie

Armanii is a Product Marketing Manager at Bitly. He received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at SMU, where he concentrated on marketing and strategy. With over four years of marketing experience spanning the SaaS and CPG space, he is passionate about helping companies connect with their customers on a deeper level through the use of tools like Bitly and QR Code Generator. You can find out more about him on his LinkedIn profile.

Become a QR Code pro

Variety of QR Code solutions with full customization, tracking and more