Imagine, with just a scan of their phone, a consumer holding your product in a store is connected to an engaging digital experience — going beyond the limits of the physical space on the item, its label or its packaging.

On any typical product or package, you are limited by physical space to share information that excites, informs and engages consumers. If it doesn’t fit, you’re forced to cut information out — or shrink it to sizes that are difficult and annoying to read.

However, with a connected products platform — like Blue Bite — you can break that barrier and share nearly limitless information with consumers.

What is a QR Code Platform?

A quick response (QR) code platform is a tool brands use to build and manage dynamic, web-based digital experiences. Consumers launch these experiences on their phones when they scan a QR code or a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag on a product or packaging.

Companies can capitalize on QR code marketing to break the limits created by physical space on a product or packaging, and share engaging digital experiences (using video, photos and more) including:

• Interactive site and shopping pages (turning products into a point of sale)
• Your brand story
• Exclusive content
• Manufacturer/factory information lists and other supply chain information
• Educational information that provides value for the consumer
• And more

Who is Using QR?

Blue Bite's State of Connected Products report shows that 89 million Americans scanned QR codes in 2022. That number is expected to reach 100 million by 2025.

What Makes a QR Code Platform Unique?

While QR codes are typically thought of as taking consumers to a static webpage, a QR code platform is a big step up.

QR code platforms allow brands to create an encompassing digital experience. They link branded assets (like product images and videos) and product information to connect with consumers on a more personalized basis.

This is tailored by things like: 

• Location
• Time
• A consumer’s previous actions
• Language
• And more
  

This means that a consumer who scans a product at 4 PM local time in Hong Kong could receive a different tailored experience from a consumer who scans a code on the same product at 9 AM in San Francisco.

What Are the Benefits of Using a QR Code Platform?

QR code platforms enable you to funnel your marketing to reach the right consumer, with the right messaging, at the right time.

Some benefits of using QR code advertising include:

It’s easy to update and allows you to manage dynamic digital experiences.

Brands can easily manage the way consumers interact with their products and make updates whenever necessary — no matter how small.

It’s easy-to-manage marketing.

Seamlessly blend existing content with UI components…

• With a QR Code Platform like Blue Bite, you can use the content you already have. Blend pictures and video with product information to create encompassing digital experiences.
• Leverage your existing data and merge existing 3rd party CMS, CRM and PIM systems — ensuring a seamless transition, with no coding required.

… and reach the right customers.

• Instead of taking a shot in the dark with broad traditional marketing strategies, you can tailor the information and experience for the customer based on things like time, location and more.
• This also allows you to capture leads, offer value-added, exclusive content and more.

Easily manage your projects, sales and get real-time analytics to better tailor your digital experiences.

• Easily create, import, export and edit individual objects and their attributes.
• Assign Digital Product IDs to track and trace each individual product from manufacturing through end-of-product-life.
• Measure pre- and post-sale actions to understand how consumers are interacting with your products, brand and more.
• Get real-time data on customer demographics, location and more.

Ensure consumers have always-current messaging.

You can update messaging any time it’s needed — and use different messaging for different consumers.

For example, using Blue Bite's digital experiences, Kilchoman shares their brand story in a personalized way.

By scanning a tag on the bottle, consumers can learn things including how it’s created, different whisky ages, casks, varieties and more. Information can be tailored to specific batches and updated days, weeks or months after the liquor is bottled — ensuring messaging is always up-to-date.

Give customers — and your brand — peace of mind with brand protection.

Counterfeits are one of the biggest threats to a business. They take away valuable sales and pose a risk to your brand’s reputation if a consumer buys a fake, cheaply made product thinking it’s the real deal.

You can leverage QR code platforms, however, to show a product’s authenticity and give consumers — and your company — peace of mind.

Brand protection benefits include:

• Secure product authentication
• Tamper detection capabilities
• Supply chain security
• Reassurance in secondhand sales
• Manage counterfeit sales/returns
• Discourage gray market sales
• And more

Sell more with Product Commerce

You can turn products themselves into valuable sales tools with QR Code Platforms.

Build Relationships and Close More Sales

Say a customer is at a bar drinking a beer brewed by your brand. Rather than taking a picture of the label and trying to hunt for it next time they’re at the store, they can scan a QR code on the bottle — and be taken straight to a page where they can place an order to deliver to their home.

Or say a customer is at a retail store and they’re looking to buy a pair of shoes your company makes — but the store is out of stock in the color or style they want. With a QR code platform or a built-in NFC tag, they are taken to a product page where they can order their desired size and color. What would have been a lost sale becomes a successful one.

Innovative brands are already seeing the advantages of QR in places like loyalty programs and coupons. It is estimated that 5.3 billion coupons were redeemed via QR in 2022.

Get consumers involved in your brand’s Circularity and Sustainability Initiatives.

Consumers are increasingly demanding brands be more sustainable — but a company’s initiatives are only as successful as their reach.

Leverage QR Code Platforms to:

• Tell customers how they can recycle, reuse, refurbish, resell or return their products to the earth when they’re done with them.
• Track products throughout the supply chain to get valuable metrics that help improve your brand’s environmental initiatives.
• Increase transparency and share supply chain, factory, and manufacturer information with consumers.

‍