While launching your app on the App Store is a major milestone (especially after wrangling those pesky bugs!), it’s just the beginning.
The real challenge begins when you turn your attention to attracting users, measuring engagement, and optimizing your marketing strategy.
Marketing is a powerful tool for expanding your reach, but it’s not without its challenges — for example, how can you identify which efforts are actually driving results, and which ones are simply vanity metrics?
Fortunately, QR codes take the guesswork out of your app’s marketing performance. When you create App Store QR codes, you can easily link them to various landing pages, analyze the results, and ultimately measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Why Use QR Codes for Apps?
When it comes to marketing applications, using QR codes can make a big difference.
Directly funnel customers to your app: As an app developer, you probably already know that the fewer steps between a user’s first interest and the actual download, the higher your conversion rate tends to be. QR codes eliminate this friction by instantly directing customers to your app’s download page (no need to type in a URL or remember to search your app’s name later!)
Offline-to-online tracking: QR codes are perfect for turning physical marketing into measurable results. Place them on brochures, posters, or even packaging, and you can see precisely how many downloads and clicks result from these offline campaigns.
Extremely versatile: QR codes are remarkably adaptable. From billboards to brochures, emails, social media graphics, coffee cups, and even temporary tattoos, you can place QR codes on virtually just about everything.
Enhanced Analytics: When combined with the right analytics solutions, each QR code scan can be logged, letting you know important information like user demographics, location, interaction times, and device types. This data allows you to refine your campaigns and better understand your audience’s behavior.
Tips & Tricks to Monitor Performance
Your app is live, your QR codes are running, all hands are on deck… now it’s time for the fun part: tracking your app’s marketing success!
Typically, this starts with leveraging the built-in analytics dashboard that many QR code generators offer. They show you scan counts in real-time, break down scans by day (or even hour), and list the device types that were used. Some platforms go a step further and capture geolocation data, letting you pinpoint the cities or regions where your campaign is performing best.
Once you’ve gathered these foundational metrics, the next step is mapping those scans to actual user engagement. This is where deep linking shines.
Did someone scan the QR code and immediately install the app? Did they spend time exploring a demo feature, or did they abandon the download process halfway through? Understanding these drop-off points and completion rates helps developers and marketers tweak their onboarding funnels and improve user experiences.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of monitoring your analytics and seeing what works (and what doesn’t!), it’s time to refine your strategy.
One excellent tactic to try is A/B testing different QR codes for the same campaign.
For example, you might compare two designs — one minimalistic and one that’s heavily branded — to see which generates more scans and has higher post-install engagement.
You can also test different incentives attached to the same design (e.g., “Scan for 10% off” vs. “Scan to Unlock Exclusive Content”) to discover which offer drives more user action.
By continuously experimenting and tweaking your marketing, you’ll steadily improve your campaign’s effectiveness.
Once you’ve identified trends or potential bottlenecks, it’s time to fine-tune your marketing efforts. Use these helpful insights to adjust your ad spending, update designs, or find new ways to align your campaigns with user behavior.
For example, if your analytics show that most scans occur during evening hours, you could schedule social media posts or in-app notifications to go live around that same timeframe.
Creative QR Code App Case Studies
Now that you know how to track and analyze QR code performance, let’s explore how brands have used them creatively.
One of the first and most successful examples of a global brand using QR codes comes from L’Oréal when, back in 2012, the company placed special codes inside taxis that were specifically targeting passengers who were stuck in traffic.
Branded as “Shop The Look,” these QR codes allowed riders to instantly purchase Lancôme and Yves Saint Laurent beauty products while en route through New York City.
According to L’Oreal USA CMO Marc Speichert, “downloads to the app increased by approximately 80% during the 5-day campaign,” and it was hailed as a mega success. Marc also noted that “the reaction from participants was extremely positive” and that “the program’s visibility garnered 51 [million] impressions during the 5-day campaign.”
For reference, the population of New York City in 2012 was 8.3 million, so they achieved nearly six times the city’s population in impressions!
Speaking of creative QR code campaigns, Burger King took things to the next level during a live music performance during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. On-screen QR codes prompted viewers at home to scan with their smartphones, who were then directed to download the Burger King app and get special discounts.
Starbucks, too, has embraced QR codes to drive app downloads. By placing QR codes on everything from coffee cups to in-store signage, Starbucks encourages customers to download their app and start earning “gold stars” through their loyalty program.
See how QR codes can take the pain out of expanding your reach like these brands did. You can check their effectiveness through analytics and measure campaign results, all while making life easier for yourself and your customers.
