Use a QR Code With Your Display

A QR-assisted display is ideal for tracking the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing efforts at in-person events. The displays are suited for incorporation into promotion merchandise, printed materials, signs, and event stations. Regardless of the approach, the display presents a more tailored message to the visitor based on their interaction with the QR content in an effort to convert the visitor into a subscriber, customer, etc. 

What is a QR code? QR codes, shorthand for "quick response" codes, are square-shaped black-and-white symbols that people can scan using smartphones to learn more about a product, service, or cause. The encrypted squares can hold links, coupons, event details, and other information users might want to take with them for reference later. 

Why are QR codes effective? They make learning more quick and easy. If consumers see a QR code somewhere, they can take out their mobile device, use their camera or QR code scanning app, and "scan" the barcode to gain access to additional information. 

Create your shareable QR code

Pick your approach

There's no shortage of QR code generators out there. Some popular options include Shopify's free QR code generator and QR-Code-Generator.com, which allows you to customize various elements of your QR code after signing up for free. However, if you're uninterested in using a generator and use Google Chrome, you can quickly generate QR codes from your browser. This is the approach shown in the remainder of the guide. 

Create the code

The display shown to visitors is based on the URL they visit following a scan of the QR code. This means you want to select an easily identifiable URL for your display. A typical approach would be your homepage with a specific tag attached or an event-specific landing page. In this example, the Wicked Wicks homepage is used with an "events" tag. 

https://wicked-wicks-candle-co.myshopify.com/?events

The downloaded QR code looks something like the example below: 

Ultimately, your version of the shareable QR code will be what you use for targeting in your display and what your team will share with their audience to drive traffic to your site. 

Create and launch the display

To create the display in the Classic Designer:

• Navigate to Convert > All Displays and click on the New Display button. 
• On the Templates dashboard, select Get Started under the "Prefer the classic creation experience?" card on the bottom right of the page, provide an internal name, and then click the Create Display button. 
• In the Create step of the display builder, select the desired Form fields and Validations for the display if you hope to collect signups. One field is recommended, while the validation depends on your intended audiences and desired discount availability. If the display is for an announcement and doesn't need a form element, disable the Enable Form? option. 
• In the Create step of the display builder, select the desired Form fields and Validations for the display. A single email field is recommended. 
• Next, select the Add a Display option. A popup or flyout is recommended. A flyout is especially useful as QR codes are meant to be scanned with mobile devices, and flyouts are mobile-responsive by default. 
• Use the display designer to configure the display to your liking, and select the Save option at the upper right when you are done with your changes. An example is shown below: 

• After saving, a new Design section will be available under the Create step. It's best practice to use a thank-you page after sign up action. 

• If the display offers a discount, make sure to select a coupon in the Coupon codes section and include the {{ signup.coupon_code }} merge tag in the thank-you page. Select the Thank You Page Design card in the Create step to edit the default thank-you page. 

Target the right audience

To ensure the display appears to the correct audience, move to the Target step of the display builder and review the following settings: 

1. Set the When to Show setting to the Immediately option and Save. 
2. Set the Who to Show It To setting to Current URL contains and then past the term(s), that you included in your shareable QR code (e.g., events) into the Value field. Save. 
3. If the display has a predetermined expiration date, set the How Long To Show It setting to the desired date. If you make any changes, please select Save.

Follow-up the display

To sync the display's signups to another service or send a follow-up message to the customers who submitted the display, move to the Follow-up step and review the following optional options:

1. Enable and customize the default after sign up email to send an email to the individuals who decided to sign up for the display. 
2. Select the Create series option to send additional after sign up emails. 
3. Select the Sync signups option to sync the signups to a list in a linked account. If you're not using Privy Email, this setting is critical as it ensures the contact information (e.g., email address) is available to the third-party provider.
4. Select the Send text message option to send an after sign up text message to the individuals who decided to sign up for the display. 
5. The Notifications setting allows you to enable or disable real-time notifications for your users. These notifications will alert the user of new display signups immediately. If there's no form, then this option will not appear. If you make any changes, please select Save.

Launch the display

Once the display has been created, the target audience selected, and any desired follow-up messages configured, select the Publish button at the upper right of the display builder and confirm your decision in the prompt.

The display is now active, and your team can start sharing the appropriate QR code via their content and events. It will appear to visitors that qualify like this: