The holiday season is right around the corner and we are as excited about it as you are!
It’s just the time when we all get super exciting deals and discounts and it’s just as great for the economy too.
According to eMarketer’s data, projected holiday sales from the U.S. alone for 2024 are expected to reach $1.3 trillion. And Black Friday happens to be the busiest shopping day of the season.
Hence, not only the shoppers but retailers equally look forward to it. Be it apparel, jewelry, gadgets, or skincare, every retailer wants to maximize their business.
And you want to do the same. So you’re looking for ways to maximize audience engagement to get a boost in business.
QR Codes are one way how many retailers are doing it. Over the last decade, the usage of QR Codes has increased manifold. All thanks to the increased smartphone usage.
Let’s look into what Black Friday QR Codes are and how you can leverage them for maximum benefit.
A. Quick brief on a Black Friday QR Code
A Black Friday QR Code is specifically used during Black Friday sales to improve the shopping experience.
Businesses place these codes on promotional materials to direct audiences to the desired content.
By scanning the code with a smartphone, consumers can be directed to a retailer’s website, promotional landing page, or digital coupon.
B. Why should retailers use QR Codes for Black Friday
1. Instant information access
Customers are just a scan away from rich information. Whether it’s a simple text or a full-fledged landing page, everything can be accessed in seconds using QR Codes.
2. Captures customer interest
QR Codes can lead to hidden offers or exclusive content, sparking curiosity. This sense of adventure encourages customers to explore your products and deals.
3. Compact messaging
QR Codes hold a lot of information in a small space, which keeps advertising materials neat. They also allow businesses to share rich content, like videos and tutorials, without clutter.
4. Cost-efficient marketing
Using Black Friday QR Codes is a low-cost way to promote products during Black Friday sale. With dynamic (editable) QR Codes, you can update existing codes to provide fresh information, reducing the cost of reprinting.
5. Campaign performance tracking
QR Codes provide data on customer engagement, allowing businesses to track scans and identify effective Black Friday promotions. This data helps in adjusting strategies quickly to boost sales.
C. 12 Ways to use QR Code for Black Friday sale
From making your marketing creatives actionable to driving them to your store, here’s how QR Codes can help:
1. Give discount coupons and vouchers
Offering discounts and deals is an indispensable part of generating sales during the holidays.
While customers get to save money, you get to increase your sales. In fact, it’s a great tactic to keep your customers coming back.
And with QR Codes, offering coupons becomes easier for retailers. These are called Coupon QR Codes.
As customers scan these, they see a landing page with coupon code and offer details. They also see an option to Redeem the coupon. You can even utilize the event tracking feature to see how people are engaging with your landing page.
Scanova Insight: Our recent findings show a 63.46% increase in the number of users taking advantage of event tracking features compared to 2021-22.
2. Guide people to your storefront
Brands like KFC are utilizing QR Codes to guide people to their physical stores.
If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you’d want as many potential customers as possible to visit your store this Black Friday. To do that, you’ll have to mention your address in every promotional creative.
But here’s the thing—mentioning your address isn’t enough. Why? Because then people need to find the directions by putting quite much manual effort. And when effort increases, the conversion rate (sales here) decreases.
So a Google Maps QR Code is here to save the day. It helps add location coordinates of your store or business premises. When the end-users scan it, they get redirected to the encoded location on their maps application.
3. Organize special black Friday events
This Black Friday, you can organize an exclusive event for your loyal customers. An Event QR Code makes it easy by letting you create a landing page with all the event details and an option for customers to RSVP.
Such a QR does not only catch your attention but also strengthens relationship with customers.
4. Showcase your new collection
The festive season demands a new collection, thus a new catalog for the products.
Instead of handing out bulky, inefficient catalogs, businesses can distribute QR Codes that can lead shoppers to digital versions of the catalogs on their smartphones.
You can use an app deep link QR Code to lead customers to a specific catalog page within the mobile app.
Not only does this boost interest in the new collection, but it also allows shoppers to add items directly to their cart.
5. Easily collect customer responses, queries, and registrations
If you need to get people to fill out a form, QR Codes are here for you. It could be for:
- Getting responses for a survey
- Collecting registrations for pre-booking of a product or service
- Receiving customer queries or feedback
And you don’t need to have paper-based forms to do that. There are two problems here; people need to fill the forms in a handwritten manner and maintaining those records is quite a task.
So you can link a digital form to your Black Friday QR Code. Users just need to scan the QR Code to see the form and fill it out.
All you need is a QR Code generator that helps you create QR Codes with an in-built form.
6. Share multimedia with your audience
Do you need to share multimedia with your audience using a QR Code for Black Friday? It could be images, videos, or even audio.
Imagine a heartfelt video from your CEO or team, personally thanking your customers for being a part of your journey. Something thoughtful like that would really brighten their day!
Traditionally, you’d have to include a link in print media, and customers would need to type it into their browsers. This process is tedious, and many people simply don’t bother.
But QR Codes are here to save the day. They make it easier for end users to access multimedia files. These include:
You can then add these Black Friday QR Codes to required print media creatives to make them actionable. When the process becomes easier, the engagement rate increases.
7. Increase the traffic inflow to your website
A website is an important means to share business information with your audience. Many businesses use it to spread awareness, generate sales, and do a lot more!
And to increase traffic and conversions on your website this Black Friday, a Website URL QR Code can help you. As the name suggests, it helps you add a web link. On scanning it, the end-users land on the required webpage.
Major international brands like IKEA also do this by driving website traffic through their physical stores.
8. Share content digitally without having a website
Not having a website may often stop you from sharing content digitally with your audience. Hiring a developer to create a website can be expensive right?
Well, you don’t really have to do that. A Landing Page QR Code can help you do that yourself in minutes.
It allows you to create a landing page having details like description, images and videos, weblinks, and more items.
And the good news is that you can create this QR Code yourself. No need to hire a developer to do the job. Isn’t that great?
9. Share product details
Sharing product details is a necessity today. That’s because customers are more concerned about what they’re putting their money into.
However limited packaging space makes it hard for retailers to include all the necessary information. But that’s not the case with a Product QR Code.
Just like the previous example, it helps you create a landing page with text and multimedia. On scanning the QR Code, customers will see this landing page which will look just like a website.
10. Easy sharing of documents
Many products such as gadgets and electrical appliances need you to share some documents with the customers. These include user manuals, warranty guides, etc.
Many customers prefer getting these documents digitally. And with QR Codes, you can do it easily.
A Document QR Code alone can help you share up to 20 document files. These could be in many different formats. For example, PDF, XLS, DOC, and PPT.
11. Direct the audience to your social media handles
Many businesses these days leverage social media to keep in touch with customers post-purchase. After all, that’s a great way to keep your customers engaged with your brand.
So the first thing you need to do is get people to follow you online. And to do that, a Social Media QR Code can come in handy.
Ezaki Glico, a food company, uses a QR Code on their popular Pocky packaging to promote its social media handles.
When end-users scan it, they see a landing page with button links to all your social media profiles. They can then select which one they want to follow you on.
12. Drive app downloads in a hassle-free manner
If you have a mobile app for your business, you’d want the end-users to download it. And many marketers leverage App Store QR Codes to do the same.
Look at how KFC includes this on their product packaging so people can order directly from their app.
It helps the end-users install your app with a simple scan. All they need to do is launch the camera to scan the QR Code.
The simplification of this whole process can improve app downloads during this holiday season.
D. Case studies: Successful Black Friday QR campaigns
Year after year, retailers have been successful in attracting customers with heavy discounts.
The most basic applications of QR Codes – on coupons and flyers – will definitely work but there are many more use cases that can help your brand differentiate itself from the horde of other retailers.
Here are a few:
1. AR Campaign
Image Source: 8thwall.com
Augmented Reality (AR) QR Codes offer users a more immersive experience by using the device’s camera to analyze the environment and overlay 3D content.
In 2021, BoohooMAN (online menswear retailer) launched its first AR-based QR Code for Black Friday, calling the campaign “Hack Friday.” It featured a digital character, Robin the “hacker.”
These QR Codes were promoted across billboards, flyers, and posters. When scanned, the hacker came to life, revealing exclusive, additional discounts to the users.
2. Media integration
Image Source: campaignlive.com
While TV commercials are a classic advertising tool, standing out requires doing things differently. Mercado Libre did just that in collaboration with Gut Sao Paulo, for Black Friday 2023.
With a logo featuring a handshake, they created a “Handshake Hunt” campaign. QR Codes aired on Brazil’s Globo TV channel, and during pre-planned handshake moments in shows, QR Codes popped up on-screen, each offering a contextualized discount.
For instance, a handshake during a movie meant a discount on TVs. This unique twist brought QR Codes to life in an unexpected and engaging way.
3. Personalized gifts
Black Friday QR Codes can be used to personalize presents for the recipients by storing a message from the sender or even a voice recording.
Back in 2014, JC Penney printed QR Codes on its holiday gift wrapping, which when scanned, allowed the sender to record a greeting.
4. Local Business Engagement
Local and small businesses can also get creative with Black Friday QR Code promotions. In Portland, smallshops-bighearts ran a “Win Big” campaign to support small businesses in 2023.
The campaign used QR Codes to encourage shoppers to check in at participating stores. Each check-in via QR Code earned raffle entries, increasing shoppers’ chances of winning prizes, while also driving traffic to local businesses.
E. Tips to create Black Friday QR Codes
1. Choose the Right QR Code Generator
Selecting a reliable QR Code generator is crucial for creating effective codes. Opt for a tool like Scanova’s QR Code generator, which provides links to various QR Code categories.
This platform simplifies the process, allowing users to easily create and design their QR Codes.
Depending on your needs, you may buy a plan that suits your budget or sign up for a 14-day free trial in order to create branded QR Codes by choosing more than 20 categories.
2. Choose the right QR Code type
Decide if you need a static or a dynamic QR Code. A static QR Code links to some fixed content, whereas a dynamic one allows you to update the destination URL without modifying the code.
This flexibility is particularly beneficial during Black Friday, as promotions can evolve throughout the day.
Did you know? 98% of QR Codes created via Scanova are dynamic QR Codes. This highlights just how popular dynamic QR Codes have become because of their flexibility.
3. Design eye-catching QRs
You can add your logo and design to your QR Codes to make them look branded. Such QR Codes attract much more scans than black-and-white ones.
4. Provide clear instructions (CTA)
Add a clear call to action next to the QR Code so that people know what to do when they see it.
Your customers will understand what to do with such easy instructions as “Scan to Get the Coupon” or “Scan Here to Visit Website.”
5. Test before launching
Once your Black Friday QR Code is created, don’t forget to test it. Before rolling out your QR Codes, test them on various devices and scanning apps to confirm they work correctly.
This step helps prevent frustration and ensures that customers can easily access the content.
6. Promote the QR Code effectively
Strategically place QR Codes on marketing materials, in-store displays, and digital platforms.
Ensure your QR Code has a dark contrast with the background and is not too small. Doing so ensures good scannability for your QR Code.
F. FAQs: Black Friday QR Codes
1. How can I make my Black Friday QR Code stand out?
Customizing your Black Friday QR Code with brand colors, logos, and unique shapes makes it more visually attractive.
People are more likely to scan a QR Code if it looks interesting and inviting, so a little creativity goes a long way!
2. Are dynamic Black Friday QR Codes better than static ones?
Yes, dynamic Black Friday QR Codes offer more flexibility. They allow you to update the content or link behind the code without needing to reprint anything.
This is super helpful on Black Friday when you may want to change offers throughout the day. Static codes, on the other hand, are fixed and can’t be edited once printed.
3. Will a Black Friday QR Code work on all smartphones?
Absolutely! Most modern smartphones come with built-in QR Code readers in their cameras. Just open the camera, point it at the Black Friday QR Code, and a link will appear.
For older devices, a free QR Code scanning app might be necessary, but most people are set to go!
The bottom line
If you’re still reading, you’ve learned how a QR Code can be used for your Black Friday campaigns.
While traditional promotional methods have not failed to pull in the masses, innovative alternatives are gaining favor among shoppers. QR Codes can be used in plentiful to create a more enjoyable experience for customers.
Now that you’re equipped with the know-how, it’s time to create your first Black Friday QR Code campaign and see the results firsthand!
In case of any doubt, comment down below!