In New Zealand back in 2011 there was quite a bit of talk about QR codes and the potential they could bring to marketing. Since then the buzz has died away and QR codes haven’t really been utilised by businesses in NZ. Overseas QR codes are everywhere and used daily; when I’m back in NZ I find it extraordinary not more businesses are taking advantage of this great tool. It’s so simple yet effective. WeChat - one of the world’s most popular messaging apps and my personal favourite uses QR codes to add contacts, just bring up your profile which contains your unique QR code and the person adding you simply scans the QR code with the reader on their WeChat. Done. No need for shouting out phone numbers or usernames. Many businesses have QR codes strategically located for customers to scan which then rewards them with discounts, freebies and updates. In exchange the business captures that persons email or other contact information. These are just some of the creative and great ways that businesses are utilising QR codes.

The hospitality industry in particular I believe isn’t taking full advantage of QR codes. We all know the cost of attracting new customers rather than retaining existing ones is far higher. So the aim of all businesses should be to focus more on retaining existing customers. Generally to retain your customers you need to interact with them and continue to keep ahead of your competitors in a highly competitive market. When your customers leave your establishment you want them to return, to return you need to keep your business in the forefront of their mind. To keep your business in their mind you need to keep in contact with them. To do this you need to somehow interact with them and the best way is to capture their email if not get them to follow you on the social media platforms you are most active on. Once you are able to interact with them online you can keep them posted about weekly events and deals. Starting a new Friday night happy hour deal? Monday 2 for 1 burgers? Half price pizzas on Tuesdays? You can’t just put out these deals on your website and expect people to come or put flyers and posters up around the place and expect people to remember where and when, you need to TELL them and remind them. 

So how do you get their details? And this is the challenge. You’re not going to get people to physically fill in forms with paper and pen. You need a method that doesn’t involve any staff and is relatively simple for the customer. What does work is having a QR code present where patrons will look, which must include a strong call to action. As we know people LOVE free stuff. A QR code with a strong call to action “scan this QR code and receive a FREE drink” will result in actions and hence captured information. A customer scans the QR Code and is then taken to a landing page which says please enter your email for a free drink, the patron enters their email and in return are rewarded with a free drink. You are rewarded with the customers email - and an email subscriber is so much more valuable than a Facebook like or Twitter follower. Or if you prefer (even though evidence points to email marketing being much more successful than social media marketing) they can like or follow you on your preferred social media platform.

You must focus on maintaining contact with your existing customers which is proven to result in a higher ROI rather than concentrate all your efforts into attracting new customers. Online interaction is a great way of doing this and a QR code is a simple and effective tool to help get your customers contact information. Contact us today to see how we can help you.