10 Ways to Use QR Codes as a Retailer

A while back, we explored the steps retailers should take to accept payment via QR code. We looked at the reasons to onboard QR payments. We dug into the surge in QR code popularity. And we proposed a few ways to use QR codes for anyone from a professional services provider to a bakery.

Retail has the most to gain from new ways to use QR codes.

As we touched on in the last piece, while only 38% of Canadians ages 25–42 have ever used QR code payment, that number jumps to almost 50% in the 18–24 demographic.

Smart retailers are moving beyond meeting this sought-after demographic where they are, and instead inviting them to where they want to be. And you know where they don’t want to be? In a lineup waiting to pay. That brings us to our first of 10 ways to use QR codes for retailers.

Use QR codes to close more sales.

Imagine your customer in the change room of your clothing store. They see themselves in the mirror and feel fabulous in the item they picked off your rack. Wouldn’t it be better to take advantage of their exuberance by letting them pay right there rather than give them the opportunity to change their minds on the way to the pay counter?

And wouldn’t your shopping environment be nicer on a busy day if there wasn’t a giant line of people cutting through the center of the store?

Use QR codes to build your loyalty program.

A major benefit of QR codes is that no technology is required on your part at the point of interaction. A QR code printed and displayed on the wall is all you’d need if you have the back end set up properly. And if that piece of paper had a compelling reason to join your loyalty program written above the QR code, your customer can easily do the rest from their phone.

Maybe they wind up buying more than they intended? Maybe they wind up coming back more than they ever thought they would? Maybe they become a life-long advocate for your business? All from a piece of paper taped to the wall.  

Use QR codes to create FOMO.

The QR code will put anything you want in the palm of your shopper’s hand, as long as they choose to scan it. Is it an exclusive look at the newest hype video for your feature product? Will there be extra surprise and delight if they focus in on that code? There’s only one way to find out, and it’s so easy. 

Use QR codes when you take your store on the road.

If you have a farmer’s market or street fair side to your business, the QR codes were almost tailor-made for you. You’re not lugging around payment equipment that could conk out from overuse. You’re not stressing about back-up batteries. And you’re not making people wait to pay you as they get visually stimulated by all your competitors.

Instead, you’re putting a few QR codes out on the table and making it easy for anyone to pay.

Use QR codes to drive real traffic.

QR codes have the unique ability to turn digital traffic into actual traffic. Imagine you have a shop in an airport on the other side of security. A few well-placed QR codes around the airport’s main foyer, complete with a reason to scan, could bring all the travellers to you, regardless of where they’re going.

This same principle could work anywhere a mass of people move through, from a convention centre to a shopping mall.

Use QR codes as Easter eggs.

If part of your brand is the awe and wonder of being in your environment (the pinnacle of such places would be the Apple Store), QR codes throughout the store could be fantastic additions to the experience. You could have them link to anything you wanted, and you could get creative. Consider carving a QR code into a wall or projecting a series of QR codes on the ceiling or floor. 

Use QR codes to gather customer data.

The receipts you issue represent valuable real estate you could do a lot with, but the issue is their relatively small footprint. A QR code changes that, letting you put whatever you want on the back of that receipt. If your business relies on customer data to target specific sales, offers or messaging, a QR code on the back of a receipt that links to a robust survey is an easy way to get that data.

Train your sales staff to point it out at the end of a transaction, and maybe think about offering a gift to customers who scan the code. 

Use QR codes as assurance.

A good restaurant or bar will be meticulous about hygiene, tracking exactly when bathrooms, kitchens and floors are cleaned. With QR codes, they can be conspicuous about it too. Patrons around the dining room can scan codes to reassure themselves and their families that they’ve chosen a clean place to eat.

And how good would that extra-cautious patron feel if the cleanliness report they chose to review also came with exclusive offers that commended them for their dedication? Your patron would feel so validated.

Use QR codes to speed up service.

This would be a good idea for stores with a large footprint and minimal staff. With a QR code at the end of every aisle that customers could scan if they needed help, a sales associate can be there in no time to assist.

And finally, use QR codes to acquire new customers.

The Canadian population grew by over a million people in the last two years, with StatCan reporting that 97.6% of that growth was fuelled by immigration. The situation in the US is similar where immigration rates are the highest they’ve been in 20+ years.

If you help give your new neighbours a soft landing by accepting the payment method they’ve been using their whole lives (like WeChat Pay or Alipay, both of which are QR-code-based platforms) your new neighbours are much more likely to choose you over a competitor. And retaining an existing customer is five to seven times less expensive than acquiring a new one.

But before anything, you need a system to use QR codes.

OTT Pay can be that system for everything you want to do with QR codes, including the acceptance of QR code payments. The solution automatically converts your customer’s payment into American or Canadian dollars. We can provide you with a POS terminal and eCommerce solutions to accept all kinds of payment methods using an all-in-one World of Payments™ solution.

Get into the world of QR codes with OTT Pay.