How Augmented Reality QR Codes Are Reshaping Marketing

The new age of marketing is dominated by technology like QR codes, which not only elevate the consumer journey but also leave a lasting impact. Combining them with emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) further enhances the consumer experience. 

Imagine scrolling for hours to find the perfect pair of summer shades, but unable to pick one that suits you best. Whoa! You suddenly spot a 3D try-on option that lets you virtually try them on before selecting the one — all while tucked in the comfort of your couch. Sounds unreal, right? This is what augmented reality does! 

Today, one of the most innovative marketing tactics for brands is integrating AR and QR codes to transform those static landing pages into highly immersive consumer experiences. And all it takes is a simple smartphone scan — no specific apps or fancy headsets needed. Read on to discover how this killer combination elevates your marketing game, how to create an AR QR code, and real-world examples to inspire your next campaign. 

Understanding the role of QR codes in delivering engaging AR experiences

Before understanding how QR codes seamlessly transport users to an amusing world of augmented reality without needing any AR/VR headsets or dedicated apps, let’s explore what AR is. The technology overlays digital elements, such as images, text, or videos, onto the user’s physical environment in real-time, enriching their real-world experiences. 

Besides visual or auditory enhancement, AR often allows users to interact with these virtual elements. For example, you can drag and drop virtual furniture from a digital furniture app onto the real floor and walls of your room to see how it looks. 

Now, when you integrate this futuristic tech with QR codes, you create an immersive and memorable experience for your customers, thus boosting brand recall. Forward-thinking brands today are redefining consumer engagement with AR QR codes. This game-changing marketing tool enables these brands to seamlessly bridge the physical and digital through immersive storytelling and engaging product demos — all with a simple scan! 

Augmented reality QR codes can link to interactive experiences such as:

✨ 3D product visualizations

3D product visualizations let your customers visualize or experience products like never before. Customers can place the digital versions of their products in their real-world environment and explore them from different angles, just as they would in a physical store. This interactive preview of the products boosts the customers’ purchase confidence and reduces the chances of returns.

✨ Virtual try-ons

Virtual product try-ons provide online shoppers with a more interactive and personalized shopping experience. They allow users to virtually try a product (such as jewelry, sunglasses, or cosmetics) on to see how it looks on them, eliminating the need to visit a store.  

✨ Location-based AR experiences

Location-based AR utilizes GPS or other location-tracking technologies to augment the user’s physical environment or surroundings. Some examples include an interactive event walkthrough, a virtual tour of museums or showrooms, or AR-powered games such as interactive treasure hunts and the popular ‘Pokémon Go’, which lets players catch Pokémon (virtual creatures) in their real-world surroundings. 

How to Create Augmented Reality QR Codes with QRCodeChimp?

Here’s a breakdown of how to create AR QR codes with QRCodeChimp in a quick and hassle-free way. 

Step 1: Prepare your AR content first using a user-friendly web AR platform with a publicly accessible URL.

Step 2: Log in to QRCodeChimp. You’ll land on the URL QR code generator page by default. 

Step 3: Now, in the ‘Website or Page URL’ field, enter the link to your AR content.

Step 4: Design and customize your QR code. Choose from a host of unique QR shapes, designs, and colors. Consider adding your brand logo and a call-to-action to attract scans. 

Step 5: Save the QR code. Download it in a high-resolution format for printing. 

✍🏻 Note: Test the QR code with your smartphone to ensure it functions correctly. 

Key benefits of using augmented reality QR codes

The following are some profound benefits AR QR codes offer brands, setting them apart from the competition. 

✅ Deeper engagement and better customer retention

AR QR codes can link to AR-enhanced brand narratives, virtual product demos, immersive festive greetings, or AR loyalty programs, offering deeply engaging user experiences. Besides deeper consumer engagement, these unique, hyper-personalized interactions build meaningful, emotional connections and foster long-term customer loyalty.

✅ Improved conversion rates

Virtual previews, 3D product try-ons, and other AR-enabled experiences not only engage customers but also help them make better purchase decisions. This drives faster conversions and results in increased sales. 

✅ Increased brand differentiation

AR QR codes help brands stand out from the competition by offering exciting, innovative virtual experiences that reinforce their image as forward-thinking and customer-focused.

✅ Better data insights with QR code analytics 

Brands that leverage QR codes to offer AR experiences benefit significantly from QR code analytics, which enable them to track each scan, measure engagement levels, and derive location-based insights. These insights allow them to optimize their campaigns, refine their marketing strategy, and deliver highly personalized customer experiences.

How brands nailed their marketing campaigns with AR QR codes

In today’s fast-paced world, where every digital interaction needs to be quick and effortless, AR QR codes let brands deliver rich, unforgettable experiences with just a quick scan. 

Let’s explore some real-world examples of how brands used them in their marketing strategy to amplify consumer engagement. 

🪔 Tata Tea’s AR campaign is a pure blend of culture and technology

In 2025, Tata Consumer Products launched its new AR campaign, Pudhu Aarambam, with Tata Tea Chakra Gold Care, to celebrate the Tamil New Year. The FMCG brand rolled out a print ad featuring a traditional Kani Thali with a mirror — believed to reflect prosperity and divine blessings in Tamil households. 

The mirror featured a QR code at its center, which unlocked an AR-enabled, personalized New Year greeting upon scanning. The campaign, which was exclusive to Chennai, offered consumers an immersive experience and marked Tata’s shift towards hyper-personalized and hyper-localized marketing.

Puneet Das, President, Packaged Beverages (India and South Asia), said, “With Puthandu being such a culturally significant festival, we wanted to celebrate it in a way that felt both meaningful and modern.”  

😎 Coca-Cola x Tesco’s #TakeATasteNow DOOH campaign 

Coca-Cola collaborated with Tesco Group to launch #TakeATasteNow, an innovative DOOH (digital out-of-home) campaign, designed to deliver a memorable AR experience. Consumers could scan a QR code to unlock a digital Coke Zero bottle on their smartphones, allowing them to interact with it in real-time. They also received a voucher that could be used to redeem a free Coke Zero bottle at a nearby Tesco outlet.

With this interactive campaign, the iconic soft drink brand sought to increase product adoption while providing an engaging, tech-powered experience. The campaign was rolled out across the UK, including major cities like London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Bristol, and ran from September to October 2023.

💳 Revolut’s Platinum Portals unlock Ultra membership 

British fintech major Revolut launched an interactive AR campaign across several European cities to promote the launch of its Ultra membership. 

Revolut, in partnership with Apexl Studios and Sense, has installed spectacular silver structures called ‘Platinum Portals’ featuring QR codes across various locations. Upon scanning, the QR code transported users to a dynamic AR environment displaying Revolut’s exclusive metal Ultra card. By sharing their experiences on Instagram using the Ultra filter by Revolut and tagging @revolutapp, users could win a year of free Ultra membership.

“Revolut wanted to welcome everyone into a ‘World of Exclusivity.’ Our mission was to make this launch not just another banking plan, but a moment to remember,” wrote Apexl Studios. 

🚘 Toyota offers AR-powered virtual test drives for new launch

When the leading Japanese automaker launched the Toyota Crown, it partnered with Yahoo Advertising to bring the showroom experience directly to customers’ smartphones. 

As part of the campaign, Toyota launched DOOH ads, banner displays, and CTV ads featuring AR-integrated QR codes. When scanned, customers were taken to an interactive AR experience, where they could park the new Toyota Crown in their own driveway, take a 360° in-car tour, explore color options, and even take a virtual test drive. 

The campaign primarily aimed to generate buzz around the new launch. Moreover, it reflected a remarkable shift in the automotive industry, where leading automotive marques, such as Toyota and Ford, are making car shopping interactive and accessible like never before.

Elevate your AR campaigns with QRCodeChimp

QRCodeChimp can be your ideal partner for your next AR campaign, elevating it with its extensive customization features and advanced analytics.  

Here’s how you can maximize engagement and measure campaign success with the platform: 

📌 Customize your AR QR codes with unique shapes and attractive designs that complement your product and campaign. 

📌 Add a custom logo at the center to reinforce brand identity and consumer trust. 

📌 Add compelling calls-to-action, such as “Experience Now” or “Scan to Unlock AR,” to drive user action.

📌 Leverage the platform’s advanced analytics features to track scan count, scan time location, devices used, and other metrics to understand user behavior and engagement.

📌 Harness these insights to identify the gaps and optimize your campaign. 

The next step — Embrace the new era of marketing with AR QR codes 

As QR codes continue to blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds, marketers are seeking new, more disruptive ways to connect brands with their audiences. Augmented reality is one such transformative technology that, when paired with QR codes, adds a whole new dimension to marketing. 

With AR-powered QR codes, the future of marketing is already here! It’s time to elevate your game with this high-impact digital tool and bring your campaigns to life in ways your audience will never forget. And with QRCodeChimp, you are ready to lead the way.

Frequently asked questions