Business signs have always been a marketing essential. But are yours working? It’s one thing to share a message, but another to know if passersby are noticing, engaging, and taking action.
Today, you don’t have to guess. Adding Quick Response (QR) Codes to your signage transforms static displays into interactive gateways that connect offline and online experiences with a single scan. This means you can finally measure sign performance, prove return on investment (ROI), and make smarter campaign decisions while making things easier and faster for your customers.
We’ll break down how to design, place, and measure QR Codes on signs to drive stronger engagement, highlight real-world use cases, and share best practices so you can launch smarter, more measurable campaigns.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Why QR Codes on signs are powerful marketing tools
On their own, signs are great at telling your audience something, whether it’s details of your latest marketing campaign, event information, or even directions. However, as any experienced marketer knows, the best advertising doesn’t just convey a message. It sparks engagement.
After all, you want passersby to move beyond just noticing your sign and take the next step down your sales funnel toward a purchase. QR Codes accelerate this process by encouraging readers to scan on the spot and connect with your brand.
This lightning-fast connection is more important than ever in the attention economy. Between social media ads and real-world campaigns, it’s estimated the average person may see a few hundred advertisements per day. While great visuals and copy can momentarily capture attention, you need to inspire immediate action to truly hook people. Otherwise, your sign risks having a limited impact.
Creative and high-performing use cases across industries
QR Codes and signs are a natural pairing for marketing teams aiming to drive ROI from their print advertising. Here are some real-world examples to inspire you.
Retail: Boosting footfall and in-store sales
Whether you’re running a sale, launching a new product, or drawing attention to a fresh campaign, in-store marketing QR Codes can work wonders.
Consider these practical ways to make them work for you:
- Drive app downloads: Your retail storefront is the perfect place to promote your loyalty app. Use a QR Code to increase loyalty program sign-ups by offering a 20% coupon for those who download and join.
- Promote early-bird sales: Use QR Codes to direct customers to your newsletter sign-up page, giving them exclusive early access to sales, limited drops, or VIP events.
- Highlight new product launches: Add a code next to new arrivals that links to demo videos, product information, or influencer content.
- Encourage on-the-spot reviews: Ask happy customers to scan a code at checkout to leave a quick Google review.
- Make window shopping interactive: Place a QR Code on your store window so people can browse products, join a waitlist, or even buy online.
If you’d like to support multiple goals at once, Bitly Pages makes it easy. This no-code landing page builder lets you create professional, branded pages in minutes. When customers scan a Bitly Code, you can send them to a standalone page that houses multiple links.
For example, you might promote both a new product and your loyalty app on the same landing page. And because Bitly Pages are easy to update anytime, you can change links as your campaign evolves without reprinting new signage, saving you time and money.
Events: Driving registrations and proving ROI
QR Code signs can help streamline event planning and management from start to finish. From hotel event planners using QR Codes to enhance hotel operations to trade show managers leveraging them to boost attendance, these codes are a perfect fit for event professionals across industries.
Here are some prime use cases:
- Driving event sign-ups: Use QR Codes on promotional materials like billboards, posters, or digital signage to link directly to your registration page.
- Share event schedules: Hotels and retreats can help attendees easily engage with their resort event schedule through QR Codes. Place them on welcome signage, room doors, and check-in desks for maximum visibility.
- Tracking engagement at different talks: Use unique QR Codes for individual talks and workshops to measure interest, understand attendee behavior, and see which parts of the event drive the most engagement.
- Contactless trade show product demos: At expos or trade shows, place codes around your booth linking to demo videos, product pages, or case studies. This creates a smooth, low-friction way for attendees to learn about your products without waiting on staff.
- Lead generation: Since proving ROI is one of event planners’ top challenges, QR Codes serve as a simple yet powerful tool to capture initial interest and support lead gen tracking. Place them strategically around your event to encourage sign-ups, purchases, or demo requests.
While Bitly provides scan analytics such as total scans, device type, and location, you may want to pair this with other tools for full attribution and ROI measurement.
Real estate: Enabling virtual tours and lead generation
Forward-thinking real estate companies are tapping into phygital marketing, using QR Code signs to boost lead generation and close more deals.
Here’s how:
- Window displays: Turn window shoppers into prospects with QR Codes on property listings. These can link directly to a booking page so buyers can schedule a tour or request more information.
- Property signs: For-sale signs with QR Codes give potential buyers instant access to digital tours, photo galleries, or 360° walkthroughs, helping them explore a property without picking up the phone.
- Business cards: QR Code-enabled business cards make networking faster and easier, letting new contacts save your details with a simple scan.
- Newspaper ads: Print ads in newspapers and magazines can feature custom QR Codes that send readers to featured listings, virtual tours, or contact forms.
Tourism and public information: Enhancing navigation
QR Code signs can transform how tourism boards and public agencies share information and engage visitors. Some ways to use them include:
- Access street maps: Add QR Codes to street signs, kiosks, and visitor centers. These can link to interactive maps, transit schedules, or walking route suggestions, helping tourists navigate unfamiliar areas with confidence.
- Deliver historical information: Place QR Codes near monuments, landmarks, or heritage sites to unlock rich storytelling experiences. These codes can lead to URLs with videos, archival images, or written histories to bring a location to life.
- Offer guides in different languages: Use QR codes to direct visitors to translated digital guides, ensuring accessibility for travelers from all around the world.
How to design and print effective QR Code signage
Ready to create QR Codes for your signs? Thoughtful design is just as important as placement. Here are some must-know best practices to make sure your codes are eye-catching, scannable, and aligned with your brand.
Match the code design to your brand
A QR Code can be much more than a plain black-and-white symbol. It can serve as an extension of your brand identity. With creative QR Code design and Bitly’s customization features, you can tailor the color, pattern, and frame of your code and even add your logo to the center depending on your plan. These details make your code eye-catching while reinforcing brand recognition.
Just remember, great design must balance with functionality. A creative QR Code might attract attention, but to drive engagement, it still needs to be scannable. Here are some quick design tips to keep in mind:
- Contrast is vital: Use a dark code on a light background (or vice versa). Low contrast reduces scannability.
- Print high-quality barcodes: Make sure your codes are sharp and clear, avoiding blurry or pixelated prints that can cause scan errors, especially when scaled for larger signage.
- Maintain the code structure: The arrangement of squares is what mobile devices read to open your webpage. Make sure your customizations don’t disrupt this essential pattern.
Include a clear, persuasive CTA
Your call to action (CTA) should motivate people to take the next step. A vague prompt like “Scan me” is too generic and leaves users guessing. Instead, focus on what they’ll get by scanning. Is it a discount, early access, or an exclusive offer? Make that benefit the centerpiece of your CTA. Keep it concise, action-oriented, and easy to read.
Here are some examples tailored to common use cases:
- Event sign-ups: “Register in seconds. Scan to save your spot.”
- Loyalty app downloads: “Get 20% off. Scan to download the app.”
- Online reviews: “Loved your visit? Scan to leave a quick review.”
- Exclusive content or early access: “Members-only drop. Scan for early access.”
Choose the right format and resolution
For print signs, always download your QR Code in a high-resolution format like PNG or SVG. This ensures it stays sharp and scannable at any size, from small shelf displays to large billboards. A blurry or pixelated code can frustrate customers and hurt engagement.
How to start optimizing placement and user experience
Creating your QR Code is only the first step. To maximize its impact, you also need to place it strategically and ensure it delivers a smooth, intuitive experience after the scan. Proper placement and thoughtful user experience design can dramatically improve engagement and help you reach your campaign goals. Here’s what to consider.
Placement matters: Distance, height, and environment
Even the best-designed QR Code won’t perform if people can’t see or scan it easily. Placement is critical for driving engagement, yet it’s often overlooked.
Here are a few best practices to remember:
- Prioritize eye-level placement: Position QR Codes 3.5–5 feet from the ground. That makes them easy to spot and scan without bending down or reaching up, especially in busy spaces like retail stores, events, or trade show booths.
- Size appropriately for scanning distance: The further away someone is, the bigger your code needs to be. A minimum size of 2×2 inches works well for close-up signs, like door posters or product tags. For billboards or window displays, scale up proportionally and test in real-world conditions before you launch.
- Create breathing room: Avoid placing your QR Code too close to text, graphics, or edges. Leave a quiet zone of at least a quarter-inch of clear space around the code so scanners can read it easily. A cluttered background can interfere with scannability and reduce engagement.
Contextual relevance increases scan likelihood
QR Codes perform best when they’re surrounded by clear, compelling cues that highlight their purpose. Curiosity alone usually isn’t enough to drive scans—your signage should motivate users to pull out their smartphones.
Here’s how to do it well:
- Include direct, benefit-focused copy: Tell people exactly what they’ll get when they scan. Phrases like “Get 15% off instantly,” “Watch the demo,” or “Add this session to your calendar” give users a reason to act and confidence in what comes next.
- Lean on visual cues and icons: Reinforce your message with supporting visuals, such as a shopping bag for discounts, a play button for videos, or a location pin for directions.
- Craft an intentional layout: Use smart spacing, color, and contrast to help your QR Code stand out without overwhelming the rest of the sign.
Improve accessibility and mobile experience
Once people scan your QR Code sign, they should have an intuitive, effortless experience. Because most QR Codes are scanned on smartphones, it’s essential that your linked content is fully optimized for mobile. Otherwise, you risk losing engagement or even frustrating users.
The good news is that Bitly Pages are built for mobile from the start, making it simple to deliver a seamless, engaging scan-to-destination experience—no coding expertise required.
Tracking and analyzing results with QR Codes
QR Codes are fantastic for driving engagement, but that’s only half the story. With a great QR Code generator, you won’t just build more customer connections—you’ll also get the proof to back it up. Leading solutions include built-in tracking metrics that show how well your codes are performing.
Use short, branded links for trust and clarity
Before you start measuring your scans, consider the link behind your QR Code. Generic or long, messy URLs can look untrustworthy and discourage engagement. With the Bitly Connections platform, you can customize your links to feature your own branded domain and clear, meaningful slugs.
For example, instead of sending users to:
bit.ly/4kTrE7W
you could use:
go.yourbrand.com/sale
This cleaner format instantly signals legitimacy. It reinforces trust with customers, makes your links easier to remember, and reduces the risk of spoofing or misuse. Branded, concise links also look more professional on your signage and help tie every QR Code back to your brand, boosting recognition and improving scan rates.
Track performance: scans, time, location
Once your codes are live, you’ll want to measure their impact. Here’s a look at the kind of data you can track and why it matters:
- Total scans: Measures overall engagement by tracking how many times your QR Code has been scanned.
- Geographic data: Shows where people are scanning, helping you target high-interest regions.
- Time of scans: Reveals peak engagement periods so you can optimize campaign timing.
- Top-performing codes: Compares different QR Codes to see which messages or placements drive the best results.
All these data points help you build a clearer picture of how your QR Codes perform and refine your campaigns. Bitly Analytics provides these metrics at a high level, but if you need more granular data (like time on page, heatmaps, or conversions), you can pair your Bitly links with other tools such as Google Analytics.
Optimize over time with Dynamic QR Codes
Speaking of refining and optimizing, the right QR Code solution should make that process seamless. Dynamic QR Codes support this by being both trackable and fully editable, allowing you to update the destination URL anytime without reprinting.
With just one QR Code, you can run multi-phase campaigns, experiment with different tactics through A/B tests, make quick tweaks, and respond to real-time feedback. For example, a restaurant could rotate daily lunch menus without reprinting signage, or a retailer could swap out QR Code offers in their window display each week to align with new promotions all with the same code.
Common mistakes to avoid when making QR Code signs
Even a promising QR Code campaign can lose impact if you overlook small but important details. Below are some of the most common mistakes to watch for and how to fix them:
- QR Code is too small or buried in clutter: The size and placement of your QR Code directly affect scannability. As a rule of thumb, add one centimeter (about 0.4 inches) to the code’s height and width for every 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) between the scanner and the code.
- Bad lighting or glossy surfaces: A shiny poster in a sunlit window can create glare, making scanning difficult. Avoid glossy finishes, and consider both natural and artificial lighting where your signage will be displayed to ensure easy scanning.
- Linking to a generic web page: QR Codes work best when they create a smooth, targeted journey. A generic homepage usually won’t do the trick. Instead, build a dedicated, campaign-specific landing page. (Tip: Bitly Pages makes this simple with branded, mobile-optimized options you can build in minutes.)
- Skipping the testing phase: It’s surprisingly common for signs to go live with broken links, expired pages, or codes that just don’t scan. Always test your QR Code on different devices before printing.
- Not optimizing for mobile: QR Codes are built for the mobile world. If your landing page loads slowly, isn’t responsive, or is tricky to navigate, people will bounce before exploring further.
Build better, smarter signs for your business with Bitly Codes
In today’s mobile-first world, static signs aren’t enough. Customers expect interactive, seamless experiences that connect their offline and online journeys. By adding QR Codes, you can turn passive print assets into active brand touchpoints, giving people instant access to offers, product demos, event details, and more while capturing real-time engagement data to prove ROI.
Bitly makes it easy to bring this strategy to life. With branded, editable Dynamic QR Codes and mobile-optimized landing pages, you can keep every campaign measurable, on-brand, and adaptable. As your offers, products, or audience needs evolve, you can update your signage in real time without costly reprints. That means your marketing stays relevant and impactful, no matter how fast things change.
Ready to modernize your signage? Find the right Bitly plan for you and turn every scan into a valuable customer connection.
