It’s no secret that mobile technology calls the shots in a well-executed digital campaign. People increasingly use their phones to connect to businesses and conduct their own. And while we all know the significance of social media and mobile apps, another rising star has emerged: the smart QR code. 

Smart QR codes scan like regular QR codes, except they direct users to targeted destinations based on behavior and characteristics such as location, language spoken, and browser used. By running personalized campaigns, smart QR codes help companies achieve better business outcomes. Higher conversion rates, increased engagement, and stronger brand loyalty are some expected benefits.

This article covers the nuts and bolts of smart QR code campaigns. We’ll cover what they are, how they work, and how you can start your own. 

What is a smart QR code campaign?

To understand what a smart QR code is and how it works, it’s helpful to go over some basic definitions. There are two basic types of QR codes: static and dynamic. When scanned, static QR codes send users to a single destination such as a landing page or a sign-up form. They’re a one-shot deal: the destination is permanent and can’t be changed. 

Dynamic QR codes allow the creator to update the online destination at any time. Visitors can reach a new web page using the same image. Dynamic QR codes also allow companies to track user metrics, such as traffic, device type, and country of origin. They’re scalable, flexible solutions that offer considerably more versatility than their static predecessors.

Smart QR codes take dynamic QR codes one step further by personalizing that experience. When designing the QR code, you can set targeting rules depending on audience behavior and characteristics. These rules determine where a user ends up. For instance, a global campaign might send users to language-specific landing pages adapted to specific time zones. A seasonal campaign might direct iPhone users in New York City to one page, and Android users in Los Angeles to another. 

When designing a smart QR code, companies can also personalize the domain to streamline their brand identity and facilitate a smoother user experience. Say you run a pen company. Users who scan your smart QR code will see a URL with your brand name (e.g. ink.co).

Why smart QR code campaigns work

The benefits of smart QR code campaigns shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s well-known that personalized marketing efforts yield far better results than generic ones. A McKinsey report found that companies can generate as much as 40% more revenue from personalization. Another study found that 4 out of 5 marketers experience positive results from personalized campaigns. 

Then consider the popularity of QR codes. QR code scans reached 26.95 million in 2023—a 433% increase over the past two years. And global QR code usage is likely to increase by 22% by 2025. Consumers seem to love these funky, scannable squares—which fortunately works to a marketer's advantage. That’s because they play directly into several marketing best practices:

• They enable targeted, personalized campaigns: Campaigns personalized to the user are proven to yield better results, including stronger customer loyalty and higher ROI.
• They accommodate real-time changes: It’s easy to make immediate changes when a campaign yields new insights requiring spur-of-the-moment improvements.
• They elevate the user experience: Smart QR code campaigns seamlessly move users from the physical location to a digital experience. Also, vanity URLs are legible and easy to remember, acting as a ‘breadcrumb trail’ for those who want to revisit a site. 
• They enable attribution: Smart QR codes allow creators to identify the most effective marketing collateral by tracking the source through which visitors connect to a website. This data-driven insight helps marketers identify which channels are most effective, leading to more optimized targeted campaigns.

Another advantage to running a smart QR code campaign is that it’s a relatively new technology, meaning your company gains a competitive advantage with novelty appeal.

How to run the perfect smart QR code campaign

SiteDetour is one of the few platforms that allow users to run a smart QR code campaign. Because so many creative options exist for running a campaign, you’ll want to think through your objectives and implementation. Here are the rules you can play around with while designing your campaign:

• Location: specify a geographic continent, country, or geographic area on a map.
• Time: Choose a day of the week, timezone, hour of the day, or time of day (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening).
• Technology: Specify a user’s device type, web browser, or operating system. You can also select a request referrer type (web page, social media, etc.).
• Language: Match the language of the destination to a visitor’s preferred language.

You can set more than one rule for each campaign, as well as specify if visitors have to match all of the rules or just some of them. With these parameters in mind, you can begin designing your campaign. Here are some examples to get your creative juices flowing: 

A coffee shop franchise with a diverse clientele

Say a coffee shop franchise runs daily specials on baked goods and wants to customize the offerings based on each location. They also want to ensure customers take advantage of the 50% off all pastries deal that begins at 4 PM. Last but not least, the franchise is in a diverse city where many of the customers speak Spanish and English. This company can use a smart QR code and deploy it with the following parameters:

• Location: Customers who show up at one location might scan and receive a coupon for donuts. Another location might offer a special on muffins.
• Time of day: Once 4 PM comes around, customers who scan the QR code can receive a coupon for 50% off.
• Language: Customers will be guided to a web page translated into Spanish, if that’s their preferred language. 

This franchise can look at the customer activity and determine which products and locations perform best. It can also customize the QR code scan with a vanity URL (e.g. bakedgoods.co) for a streamlined user experience. When users want to recall or access that web page, they can simply type in the vanity URL and bypass a long, hard-to-remember web address.

A global fashion brand running a sweepstakes

If a company is working across multiple time zones, it can set up campaigns that take into account the customer’s country, time zone, device used, language spoken, and more. Say a French fashion brand is running a sweepstakes. To enter, people scan a smart QR code. The QR code registers the user’s device and sends them to the corresponding page in their preferred language. Users have until midnight in their time zone to complete the form—which means that a New York audience won’t need to worry about finishing on a Paris timeline. 

The company gains insights into user behavior and deepens customer loyalty through its customized vanity URL (e.g. frenchsneakers.co), which looks très chic compared to a long garbled string of letters it would otherwise present.

 By sending users to a targeted location based upon unique qualifiers such as their location, preferred language, and time of day they’re active, companies can harness the power of an ultra-personalized digital campaign that expertly leverages this era’s most popular mobile technology. 

SiteDetour makes it easy to run a smart QR campaign. You can be up and running with our intuitive platform within minutes. Interested in learning more? Try it free.