Over the last few years, businesses are increasingly adopting holistic strategies to optimize their sales processes and customer experiences (CX) to keep pace with the digital era. For marketers and sales managers, it means that marketing and sales processes just got simpler thanks to automation and QR Code technology.
As companies grow increasingly digital, QR Code-based campaigns are quickly becoming one of the finest ways to improve business and ease sales processes for customers. QR Code makers have only continued to gain popularity and become more widely used, despite some articles foretelling its demise for years. A study predicts that by 2025, the value of transactions made with QR Codes will be $3 trillion globally.
In this article, we will explore the ways in which QR Codes for businesses can ease sales processes.
Benefits of QR Codes in Sales
QR Codes have been in use for nearly three decades now. The technology, originally designed to track parts in auto plants, has developed into a very powerful marketing tool. They also simplify the sales process by allowing marketing teams to steer and manage how customers interact with their brand. Other benefits of QR Codes include:
- Enhances customer engagement: Adopting QR Codes in your sales strategy can make it easy to understand and engage with your customers. Using QR Codes as a gateway to link your offline and online marketing campaigns, and establish an omnichannel marketing mechanism, is one approach to enhance your sales process.
For instance, physical stores can check which products have the most frequent scans of their QR Codes so they can invest more in promoting such products.
- Convenience for prospects: Not only are QR Codes easy to generate, but they also provide customers with the convenience of scanning and obtaining information about a product or service instantly. They are versatile, mobile-friendly, and quick to access.
- Accelerate sales processes: QR Codes in sales accelerate processes by enabling quick and seamless information exchange. Customers can scan QR Codes to access product details, pricing, and promotions, eliminating the need for manual data entry. This swift interaction streamlines the buying journey, reduces friction, and enhances overall sales efficiency.
- Real-time monitoring of engagement and revenue metrics: Some QR Code solutions offer real-time statistics that are updated each time your QR Code is scanned, including location by city and country, the OS system used, the amount of time spent scanning, and the proportion of unique scans to all scans.
For example, using a QR Code on a business card can facilitate networking and also help you understand how many people scanned the QR Code to save your contact details.
- Cost-effective: In some cases, QR Codes can help you save time and a few bucks. For instance, sharing a digital business card with your prospect using a QR Code can reduce the cost of printing by up to 98%.
Also, you can increase engagement through offline and online marketing without spending on expensive advertising. If you already have QR Codes in your product packaging, you can collect feedback easily rather than sending follow-up emails. In other words, the versatility of QR Codes can help you increase sales effectively without burning a hole in your pocket.
Now that we’ve understood some of the major benefits of QR Codes in sales let’s look at some of the proven strategies for easing sales processes using QR Codes.
7 Strategies to Leverage QR Codes for Sales (With Examples)
There are numerous applications for QR Codes in business, and more are appearing every day as we speak. Here are some excellent suggestions that you can adopt.
Embedding QR Codes in Marketing Materials
By embedding QR Codes in marketing materials, sales engagement can be streamlined and simplified. Placing QR Codes on flyers, posters, brochures, or product packaging, will provide customers with direct access to additional information, exclusive offers, or promotional content. Users can scan the codes with their smartphones, leading them to your website, an e-commerce landing page, videos, social media profiles, or online stores, enhancing engagement and driving conversions. This eliminates the need for manual data entry or searching, enabling a seamless and efficient purchasing experience and ultimately facilitating sales conversions.
Here are a few ways to embed QR Codes in your marketing materials.
Using QR Codes for Product Demos
QR Codes can be utilized for product demos by embedding them on the packaging or promotional materials. Customers can scan the codes with their smartphones to access videos or interactive content showcasing the product’s features, benefits, and usage, enhancing the overall demonstration experience. This helps customers witness the functionality and ease of use, increasing their confidence in purchasing.
Using QR Codes for App Downloads
Sales reps and managers can leverage QR codes to boost sales through app downloads by incorporating them into their sales strategies. By placing QR codes on sales collateral, such as brochures or business cards, they can direct potential customers to the app store page of their sales app.
This enables prospects to quickly access and install the app, leading to increased engagement and seamless interaction with the sales team. Additionally, QR codes can be shared during sales presentations or meetings, allowing attendees to easily download the app and further explore its features. This not only enhances the customer experience but also enables sales reps to provide real-time product demonstrations and information, ultimately driving sales conversions.
Revolutionize Your Sales Pitch Decks using QR Codes
Sales decks are crucial when it comes to an investor or a business meeting. By incorporating QR Codes into your presentations, you can provide instant access to supplementary materials, such as product demos, case studies, testimonials, or interactive content. Prospects can conveniently scan the codes with their smartphones, enhancing engagement and enabling a more immersive and persuasive sales experience.
Using QR Codes for Networking
In the cutthroat world of business and sales, who you know is more important than ever. This is why developing relationships—not just with clients but also with other businesses—is the foundation of effective salesmanship. You can ditch the hassle of exchanging business cards and embrace a seamless digital connection. With a virtual business card (embedded in a QR Code), you can instantly communicate your contact information. When scanned, it instantly adds your information to their address book. Effortlessly expand your network, and leave a lasting impression with this modern and convenient approach.
Using QR Codes for Lead Generation
QR Codes are a powerful tool for lead generation. By incorporating QR codes into marketing materials, and other sales campaigns, businesses can capture valuable prospect data effortlessly. When scanned, QR Codes direct users to landing pages or forms where they can provide their contact information, allowing for seamless lead capture. This information can then be used to build a robust leads database for targeted marketing efforts. They can also be used to track engagement and measure the success of specific campaigns. With their ease of use and ability to bridge the offline and online worlds, QR codes offer businesses a highly effective method for generating and nurturing leads.
Streamlining Registration Processes
Do you need to spike the number of signups for your next event or webinar? Registration QR Codes are here for your rescue. By incorporating QR codes into event invitations, tickets, or registration forms, participants can quickly and conveniently register by scanning the code with their smartphones.
QR codes can be linked to personalized registration forms or online platforms, allowing participants to provide the necessary information and confirm their attendance effortlessly. This efficient registration method enhances the attendee experience, saves time for both organizers and participants and ensures accurate data collection for efficient event management. It also enables targeted follow-ups to drive sales conversions.
5 Best Practices for Using QR Codes in Sales Processes
Now that you know how to use marketing QR Codes to their fullest potential and efficiency, here are some suggestions for how to use them to enhance your sales process.
Calls to Action are Important
A QR Code is like a hallway leading to the experience your customer wishes to have. But, no one will enter if there is no notice in the corridor. Hence, a strong call to action is required.
For example, the clothing brand, Diesel, offers denim with QR Codes. To make it easier for customers to confirm the legitimacy of their items, the well-known apparel company introduced QR Codes to their denim lines with a “Scan for Authenticity” call to action.
Design and Customize QR Codes Properly
Ensure that your brand’s identity is reflected in the QR Code. To increase the number of QR scans, branding is a crucial component. Add brand colors and logos to make them more visually appealing.
For example, to increase coffee sales and enhance customer experience, Starbucks was another cafe to implement QR Codes in various formats.
Review QR Code Placement
Ensure that your QR Code is placed strategically and in a prominent location so that your target user can see it and swiftly scan it. To make it easier to read, it should be placed against a light background.
Ensure it is Easy to Scan
Your QR Codes shouldn’t be impossible for a smartphone to read due to their size or shape. Although there is no universal QR Code size, 2×2 cm is the smallest size that is often advised.
The distance at which the Code will be scanned is another important factor.
For instance, you’ll need to create and print the QR Code in a large size and in high definition if you plan to put it on a billboard. Otherwise, customers could find it challenging to scan it.
Another point to remember is to avoid printing QR Codes on transparent surfaces because they are difficult to scan. Make sure the background of your QR Code has a well-contrasted color if you choose to display it in your store.
Optimize QR Code Landing Pages for Mobile Devices
Just displaying QR Codes for customers to scan is not enough. Make sure the users land on a website that is mobile-friendly and, most importantly, is functioning properly after scanning for an enhanced experience.
Way Forward – Achieve Optimum Sales Using QR Codes
The flexibility of the QR Code is a proven approach for your business to get innovative and ease sales processes for your prospects. QR Codes in sales can help you get the most out of your sales team, from expediting routine operations like sharing proposals and contracts to appointment scheduling.
As a result, your sales team will have more time to devote to improving customer interactions, winning their trust, and closing more sales. Want to stay ahead of the curve and maximize your business’s sales significantly? Plan your next QR Code campaign right away.
