The versatility of QR codes have made them an integral part of every industry. Brands and organizations across sectors are using QR codes to streamline operations and engage consumers better.
However, some industries can absolutely not miss out on QR codes.
Let’s look at some sectors that can benefit the most from QR codes, along with some real-world use cases.
Education
Schools, colleges, and other educational institutions can use QR codes to offer tech-based, innovative learning experiences. Additionally, QR codes can help educational institutions streamline their administrative processes and function more smoothly.
One of the primary uses of QR codes in education is sharing information digitally with students. You can share study material, course curriculum, notices, and more with a QR code.
If you want to share PDFs, you can use a PDF QR code to share PDF docs with a single scan. QRCodeChimp also offers the PDF Gallery QR code solution, which lets you share multiple PDF files with one QR code.
Educational institutions can also use QR codes to provide gamification experiences to students. Quizzes, surveys, lucky draws, and treasure hunts are some examples.
QR codes can help educational institutions with administrative operations as well, such as:
- Unique student identification
- Tracking attendance
- Time table sharing
- Digital business cards for professors
Marketing and advertising
The use of QR codes in marketing and advertising has skyrocketed over the past few years. Brands across industries use QR codes to collect first-party data and offer engaging user experiences.
Why are QR codes so effective in marketing and advertising?
To understand this, we must first realize the importance of omnichannel experiences. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that 73% of consumers prefer shopping through multiple channels. It was further observed that 93% of retail leaders consider an omnichannel strategy critical to business success.
QR codes enable seamless offline to online consumer onboarding, allowing brands to offer omnichannel user experiences. With QR codes, brands can bring consumers from offline channels (like offline stores and traditional advertisements) to online channels (like websites, landing pages, social media, and mobile apps).
Here are some ways marketing agencies, in-house marketing teams, and individual marketers can leverage QR codes:
- Bring users to a website or landing page
- Share business details, location, and contact information
- Increase app downloads
- Increase social media following and engagement
- Share informative images, videos, and PDFs
- Connect with users on SMS, email, and WhatsApp
Cred, a reward-based credit card payments app, put up a large QR code in a busy shopping mall to promote its app and increase downloads.
Hotels, restaurants, and tourism
Hotels across the globe have adopted QR codes to improve the guest experience. Depending on the type of your hotel and its facilities, you can use QR codes to streamline an array of operations. And the need for contactless experiences is on the rise after the pandemic, making QR codes even more useful for hotels.
Here are some uses of QR codes in hotels:
- Enable fast and touchless check-in
- Share information about hotel facilities
- Share in-room dining menu
- Promote events and allow guests to register
- Collect guest feedback
- Collect guest information and engage them after they check out
Restaurants and cafes are also using QR codes to elevate the guest experience and build loyalty. The biggest use case of QR codes in restaurants is QR code menus.
Many restaurants worldwide have replaced physical menus with QR codes on guest tables. Guests can scan one of these QR codes to view the digital menu on their smartphones and place an order.
QR code menus eliminate the need for physical menus and also escalate the ordering process.
Here are some other applications of QR codes for restaurants:
- Accept online payments
- Allow guests to book tables
- Bring guests to your social media profiles
- Collect guest feedback
- Promote mobile app downloads
Retail
With omnichannel retail being the norm, the retail sector is one of the biggest adopters of QR codes. Retail businesses, regardless of their type and product, can use QR codes to offer an omnichannel customer experience.
In retail, bringing offline users to online channels is the primary application of QR codes. You can do so in various ways depending on your business type and marketing goals.
Let’s say you have an apparel store. You can put a QR code with each product to send people to a webpage containing detailed information about the product. This could include sourcing, materials used, manufacturing procedure, and more.
Another idea is to print QR codes around the store to send people to your eCommerce site, where they can buy online.
Here are some places to put a QR code:
- Inside your store
- On the payment kiosk
- On the storefront
- Alongside products
- On the product packaging
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)
FMCG brands can use QR codes on their product packaging to boost their branding, share helpful information, and elevate the consumer experience.
Smart product packaging is one of the most prominent applications of QR codes. FMCG brands (and even pharma and other retail brands) can put QR codes on product packaging to onboard offline consumers to online channels, engage them further, and cultivate customer loyalty.
Suppose you sell sugar-free chocolate bars. You can put a QR code on the packaging to send users to a video showing how the chocolate bars are made.
On the other hand, you can use a QR code to bring consumers to your website or social media and engage them further.
See how The Baker’s Dozen uses a QR code on its Cinnamon Rolls packaging to send consumers to their YouTube channel containing awesome recipes.
HR and corporates
Apart from marketing and sharing information with consumers, QR codes have paved their way into the administrative operations of corporate organizations.
Digital business cards are a significant use case of QR codes in the corporate sector. HR teams are replacing traditional employee ID cards with digital business cards for effortless contact sharing and network growth.
QR code email signatures are also gaining popularity among professionals. Many professionals across industries include a QR code in their email signature to share additional information.
QRCodeChimp’s Digital Business Card is an all-in-one corporate networking solution that allows you to create professional digital business cards and email signatures.
Real estate
The global real estate market is bolstering at a rapid pace. It’s currently valued at $7.06 billion (2022) and is set to reach $7.95 billion by 2028. As the market grows, the way real estate firms and agents promote properties and engage with buyers has also changed.
QR codes have become an integral part of real estate marketing. Real estate firms and agents can use QR codes to reach and engage potential consumers and generate more revenue.
Here are some useful applications of QR codes in real estate:
- Share virtual property tours
- Share property brochures and flyers
- Make your property ads more engaging
- Bring potential customers to your website
- Share contact details with a digital business card
- Promote social media profiles
Summing up: QR codes for industries
QR codes have immense potential for marketing and customer engagement, especially for the above industries. If your organization belongs to one of the industries mentioned on this list, it’s high time to implement QR codes in your business and marketing strategy.
And if your industry isn’t listed above, it doesn’t mean QR codes are not for you. Every business, regardless of its industry, can use QR codes to enhance the user experience.
If you want to get started with QR codes, QRCodeChimp has your back. Sign up for free and create top-notch QR code campaigns.
