Use WhatsApp QR Codes to Turn Offline Shoppers into Online Customers

Wondering how to use WhatsApp QR codes for your business? WhatsApp QR codes are an easy way to get leads instantly from anywhere. You can simply generate a WhatsApp QR code and put it on ads, promotional brochures and more. We’ll show you four ways to capture leads and customers with well-placed QR codes so you can build a relationship over chat that leads to conversions and repeat business.

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Why Your Business Needs WhatsApp QR Codes

Do you know who visits your business or comes across your ads in physical locations? Getting your brand in front of people both online and offline is especially important for businesses with physical stores. However, offline leads can be hard to track and follow up with.

So how can you stay in contact with prospects or customers who interact with you offline? WhatsApp QR codes are an easy way to get contact details from anywhere. It’s also a good way to capture WhatsApp contacts for further promotions as WhatsApp only allows you to message people who have agreed to hear from you.

Capturing leads is the first stage of respond.io’s Conversation-led Growth framework, which consists of three stages, Capture, Convert and Retain. Using chat to engage prospects and customers throughout the funnel helps increase leads and ultimately sales.

Our customers have seen success using WhatsApp QR codes to capture lead details in a range of locations with different methods. Consider what has worked for them and how you can apply it to your business.

How to Use WhatsApp QR Codes Strategically

The possibilities for WhatsApp QR codes are nearly endless as you can print and place them anywhere to boost your marketing. Here are some ideas that have seen the most success.

Note: WhatsApp requires businesses to get opt-ins for promotional messages. Ensure that contacts understand they’re signing up to hear from your business and consent, for example, by clicking yes on a menu option.

Get Quality Leads at Events

If your business participates in events, exhibitions or industry fairs, well-placed WhatsApp QR codes bring leads in. Put QR codes on flyers, banners or brochures and encourage visitors to your booth to scan and send you a message to get updates.

Entice people to sign up with contests and offers; for example, an electronics vendor might offer a chance to win an iPad by signing up. Education providers may offer early bird course discounts for people on their mailing list. Food, drink and supplement providers could give out free samples to those signing up via QR code.

screenshots of Whatsapp conversation showing the prefilled text that appears when someone scans a WhatsApp qr code — Use a QR code to get prospects to send you a pre-filled message indicating where they signed up and what they’re interested in.

One of our customers who offers medical courses hands out flyers with QR codes at events with pre-filled text to indicate where the lead is coming from. Two weeks after they began doing this, they saw new leads coming in.

Attract New Audiences in Public Advertising Spaces

Advertising in public spaces such as on billboards, at bus stops or on public transportation puts your business in front of people who may never come across you online. To get leads from new audiences and understand how effective your advertising is, include QR codes.

While people are waiting for a bus or train and seeing the advertisement every day, it stays top of mind and if they’re interested, they’ll scan the QR code for information. Creating unique QR codes informs you of where leads are coming from, so you can evaluate whether advertising in that place is worth continued investment.

Respond.io Customer Success Manager Joshua Loo shares how one of our customers, a marketing agency in Hong Kong, advised its clients doing billboard advertising at MRT stations to use QR codes. With a unique pre-filled message for each station, advertisers could easily see where their leads were coming from and track the value of each placement.

Capture Leads in Physical Stores to Continue Sending Promotions

For retail businesses with physical locations, it’s common for people to walk into a store without ever interacting with the business online. After they walk away, whether they make a purchase or not, the business has no way to continue the relationship.

QR codes in stores solve this problem by getting prospective and current customers into WhatsApp. Put QR codes on display and invite visitors to scan to get exclusive deals. Place QR codes at the checkout counter or on receipts, packaging or business cards so you can stay in touch with customers and encourage them to come back.

One of our customers who sells secondhand electronics relies heavily on promotional messaging and social media. While they invest in online advertising, they also wanted to market to prospects who visit their physical stores.

The business placed QR codes in each of its over 100 locations so that customers can sign up to get amazing offers. After signing up, they get updates and relevant promotions. Keeping customers engaged boosts repeat business.

Get Bookings Via QR Code to Easily Save Contact Details

For businesses who take bookings on location, for example, for recreational activities, having people sign up via QR code is a great way to save their contact details. With WhatsApp, you can use automated questions to get all the information you need.

This not only saves time on manually filling out forms but also enables you to add these customers to a WhatsApp broadcast list so you can let them know the latest news and prompt them to leave a review or refer friends.

One of our customers offers seasonal jet ski tours. While they receive many bookings online, they also have walk-in tourists who can make a booking on the spot. The business takes these bookings via QR code. Then, using respond.io’s Workflows automation, they guide customers through the registration.

This saves customers and agents time as the process is automated and all bookings go into the same place whether they’re made in advance online or on location. This also makes it easy to see the number of jet skis and time slots available.

Automating booking with a conversation management platform like respond.io helps manage customers whether they come in online or in person. The streamlined process keeps customers happy so you’re more likely to get referrals and repeat business.

Turn Foot Traffic into Consistent Online Leads

If your business interacts with prospects and customers in person, capturing them into online conversations can boost leads and sales. If they’re considering a purchase in store but decide against it, you can continue marketing to them online.

And for current customers, keep up the relationship so they’ll return, leave a review or make a referral. A conversation management platform like respond.io allows you to manage all your leads from any source in a single inbox so you can converse with them throughout the customer journey and even integrate with a CRM.

Respond.io is a WhatsApp API provider so you can take advantage of advanced features like WhatsApp automation to get opt-ins, answer FAQs and send promotions and notifications. Try it out for free today or contact us for a customized demo.