Scannable QR Codes May Be the Key To Boosting App Downloads

While QR code scanning never quite caught on as a commonplace marketing technique, lately, brands have been experiencing major success with the tactic. Recently, fast-food chain Chick-fil-A boosted downloads of its mobile app by 14% by showing a QR code in its digital signage, according to an analysis by the brand's vendor on the campaign, UPshow. By scanning the code with their smartphone cameras, customers were pointed to an app store to immediately download Chick-fil-A's app.

As smartphone cameras achieved higher-quality in the early 2010s, QR codes gained a bit of traction but never became the norm due to a lack of scanning standardization and some of the creative restrictions that come with the format. When it works, the strategy can provide a way for consumers to give feedback, and for marketers to quickly measure the response to marketing campaigns.

Chick-fil-A isn’t the only brand seeing positive results. According to UPshow, the Steakhouse chain Blackrock Bar & Grill saw a 27% redemption rate for a scannable mobile coupon shown on restaurant TVs for a pilot program during Mother's Day weekend. The chain boosted revenue and repeat visits by offering a free appetizer coupon that was scanned hundreds of times. Pepsi is also embedding QR codes in its holiday packaging this year. When scanned, the code brings users into a digital scratch-off game, with cash rewards paid forward as gifts to friends and family. 

The boost in success could be a result of increased efficiency—while previous versions of the QR technology required users to download an additional app, the latest versions of Android and iOS can read QR codes on their own. These new scanning capabilities are creating a more streamlined process for customers and allowing brands to achieve a variety of call-to-action responses from mobile users.

According to a forecast by Juniper Research, the number of QR code coupons that will be redeemed by a mobile device will more than triple to 5.3 billion by 2022 from an estimated 1.3 billion in 2017. The firm estimated that 1 billion mobile devices will access coupons through QR codes by 2022.

With the recent adoption of Snapchat AR lenses, mobile games and downloadable content, it is clear that franchisors are doing everything they can to reach customers where they are—their phone.