How can companies that sell common products engage with consumers, steadily boost sales, and comprehend their preferences? For both large and small consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, QR codes are here to save the day.
QR Code usage is higher than ever thanks to smartphone scanning capabilities and the increasing demand for touch-free interactions in recent years. Our 2023 QR Code Trends Report states that the retail and CPG sectors saw an 88% increase in QR Code production year over year. It's never too late to join in on the activity, so CPG firms should start embracing QR Codes today as a crucial tool for increasing sales and cultivating client relationships!
Let's examine the reasons why QR Codes are a crucial tool for consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms and how you can use them right now to increase sales and build relationships with clients.
Why are QR Codes a CPG requirement?
QR Codes are an essential tool for CPG firms, but any brand may profit from bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds. They make it possible for businesses to engage with consumers quickly and easily and encourage repeat business from any place, which is essential in the quick-paced consumer products industry. The following are some of the main advantages that CPG brands can obtain by including QR Codes into their plans.
The average consumer of today is constantly overwhelmed with information because they see 10,000 ads a day on average. Your target market prefers to "choose their own adventure," finding out about your brand according to their schedule and preferences. These kinds of experiences are made possible by QR Codes, which provide consumers the autonomy to find out more by providing information at the appropriate moment—for example, while they're shopping and actively considering your product.
By sharing interactive or helpful content via QR Codes, you can entice people to interact with your brand in ways that suit their interests. This is what it means to market in a way that improves the customer experience overall and strengthens the bond between your brand and its audience.
Ownership of data
CPG brands are frequently at the mercy of the big-name retailers who carry their goods, both in terms of shelf space and customer information. Brands may find it difficult to comprehend the distinct preferences and behaviors of their customers if they do not have a direct means of communication. Here's where QR Codes can help you out.
Dynamic QR Codes give real-time information about in-store brand interactions by revealing the time and location of each code's scan. Additionally, CPG brands regain some of their ability to connect and comprehend their customers directly from store shelves thanks to QR Codes, a marketing channel under their control. Given that Google will be discontinuing third-party cookies in the upcoming months, this is particularly crucial. Soon, brands won't be able to track this data as well.
Efficiency of the supply chain
How many of the tools in your supply chain management stack are also essential components of your marketing stack? In fact, QR Codes are about to become one of those tools—probably not many.
Because 2D barcodes, such as QR Codes, can store a vast amount of information, the retail and CPG industries will switch from 1D UPC barcodes to 2D barcodes by 2027. The enhanced barcodes will have more information when the industry-wide change is finished than just a product's Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Numerous pieces of information, including serial numbers, expiration dates, updated prices for sales or discounts, and, of course, links to marketing materials, can be found within QR Codes.