QR Code in Loyalty Programs: Revamp Your Business

You’re probably a business owner or manager who is trying to boost sales. And there are two ways to do it. The first is by acquiring new customers. And the second is by getting repeat purchases from the existing ones.

While you would want to acquire new customers vigorously, you would like to retain the existing ones too. It is a fact that the cost of acquiring new customers is far higher than retaining them.

Hence, to boost your ROI, you’re looking forward to launching loyalty programs. And here’s the thing—you want to explore the scope of using QR Codes as a part of your campaign.

These 2D barcodes are being used for a wide array of use cases. From ensuring social distancing to payments, businesses in different industries are using them everywhere.

In this article, we will see five ways QR Codes can make loyalty programs a success.

A. How QR Codes can be used in loyalty programs

QR Codes are key to build better customer relationships. Here’s how:

1. Offer coupons and discounts

Giving coupons and discounts is one of the best hacks to retain customers. They provide buyers with an incentive to make repeat purchases.

And a Coupon QR Code helps you make these deals even better for the customers. Here’s how:

First, it makes the complete process contactless. Hence, there is no need to print the coupon codes and hand them out to customers.

Second, it removes the need for customers to carry the coupon or remember the code. All they need to do is scan it followed by clicking on the Redeem button to reap the benefits. It’s that simple.

2. Offer seamless joining process

Do you have a website and want to make your customers visit it? It could be to keep them up-to-date with your offering or to give them attractive offers.

Here, you add your website link to the promotional creatives such as flyers, brochures, and banners. But to visit your website, people will have to pull out their phones and open the browser to tediously type the website link. Once they do all this, they will be able to visit your website.

Now, this is a long process and needs both time and effort from the end-users. While some of them may do it, others won’t.

This is where a QR Code can help you. Simply add a Website URL QR Code to your promotional material. When scanned, it will take your target audience to visit your website in no time. No need for them to type anything.

They will be able to visit your website and see the latest product range and deals right away.

3. Marketing campaigns

Every business needs to run campaigns to keep its revenue afloat. And QR Codes can help make these campaigns even better for you. Here’s how:

First, QR Codes can help you leverage the longer attention span of print media. In addition to it, they also make print media actionable by helping the audience take the desired action with a simple scan.

Second, they help you track your campaigns. You can see how many people have actually scanned your QR Code, where they did it from, and when they did it.

Third, you can create a QR Code for any marketing use case. From getting people to visit your website, follow you on social media, or redeem a coupon to making them see multimedia content, QR Codes can help you do it all.

Learn all about making QR Codes in this ultimate guide.

4. Gather feedbacks

You know how important it is for any business to get regular customer feedback, especially from loyal customers. After all, that’s how you gain insights into whether the customers are enjoying your services or not.

But getting them to submit feedback is not easy. But QR Codes are up for the job. You can create a QR Code to get customer feedback and put it inside your store premises or the invoices.

When customers scan this QR Code, they’ll be able to access the feedback form and fill it right away.

5. Organize events

Planning on organizing a special event to promote your business and strengthen your loyalty programs? It could be a sale, seminar, game, or in-house activity. Then you’d want to attract your customers while offering them an easy way to sign up.

Here, an Event QR Code can help you do it seamlessly. It helps you add all the event details such as event description, banner images, venue, timings, website link, and an option to RSVP. Guests can access all this information with a simple scan.

You can put this QR Code inside your store, on the website, promotional material, etc.

You can put this QR Code inside your store, on the website, or promotional material, with a proper CTA (Call-to-action).  It is a small instruction statement that tells the users what they need to do. It could be anything such as ‘Scan here to see the event details’ or ‘Scan here to RSVP’

B. Examples of QR Code in loyalty programs

1. Danone

Danone, a multi-national food company, has launched a loyalty program linked with QR Codes in Spain. It has added QR codes on all its products to encourage people to sign up for its loyalty program.

They can scan this QR Code to avail themselves of loyalty benefits. And to scan a QR Code, they need to install Danone’s smartphone app. Doing this helps them save about 40-pound sterlings a month.

2. McDonald’s McCafe loyalty rewards

Mc Donalds has introduced a QR Code-based loyalty program. It helps customers collect McCafé loyalty stamps via the My McDonald’s app.

Collecting the stamps is really simple if one orders inside the restaurant or chooses a drive-thru.

Here’s how it works:

a. Open the My McDonald’s app and go to the Deals section
b. Now select ‘Earn a free McCafé’ at the top of the page and tap Add to Code
c. Next, you can either scan the QR Code at a kiosk or show it at the counter where one of the staff members scans it for you. Alternatively, if you are using Drive-thru, you can simply speak out the four-digit code

That’s it.

To redeem one free regular hot drink, you need to go to the Deals section in the My McDonald’s app. Here, you can either add it to a mobile order or scan the QR code to redeem at the ordering screen, counter, or Drive-Thru.

3. SATA GmbH & Co. KG

SATA GmbH & Co. KG, a spray gun manufacturing company, is also using QR Codes as a part of its loyalty program. It has QR Codes imprinted on the booklets. Customers can scan this QR Code by downloading Sata’s app from Google Play Store or App Store.

Once scanned, the QR Code helps them collect points that can be used while making future purchases.

C. How to create QR Codes for loyalty programs

Now you know why it makes sense to use a QR Code for loyalty programs. The next question—how to create one?

1. Decide on your QR Code category

Depending on what you’d want your end-users to see, you’d need to select an appropriate QR Code category.

For example, to offer coupons and discounts, you’d need to create a Coupon QR Code. But to give detailed event information, you’ll have to create an Event QR Code.

Once decided on the QR Code category, you need to choose your QR Code generator. A simple Google search will fetch you many options to choose from. To help you, here is a detailed comparison chart on the best QR Code generators available online. You can go through it to find the best one for yourself.

2. Create a QR Code

Using Scanova QR Code generator for a demo, here is how you can create a QR Code for your loyalty programs:

a. Go to Scanova
b. Select the most relevant QR Code category

c. Add the content you want to encode in the QR Code and click Continue

d. Now, name the QR Code and click Create QR Code

e. On the page that loads, you’ll see the preview of the QR Code along with the Edit Design button. If clicked, you’ll see two design options—Custom Logo Design and Custom Background Design

Custom Logo Design: It allows you to add a logo and colors to the QR Code. The logo can be an image or text.

Custom Background Design: It helps you place your QR Code on any image.

f. Once decided on the design, click Download. A window will open, prompting you to sign-up for a 14-day free trial. Once you’ve signed up, proceed to download the QR Code

g. Now, you’ll be asked to specify the QR Code image’s format and size

h. Submit the details and click Export

That’s it. Your QR Code will be downloaded. It is always advisable to test scan the QR Code before putting it out for the target audience.

That’s it. That is all you need to know about QR Code in loyalty programs. You can create your own QR Code to boost your business by retaining your customers.

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