Scan to Cart QR Codes
Tags: qrcode, startup, writing, customerengagement
Published: 2022-06-14 16:50:50

It is difficult to believe how disruptive the pandemic has been. Innovation in the field of contactless technologies is a direct outcome of the pandemic. Being mobile-friendly, QR codes have become the primary tool for contactless applications.

QR codes are being used for a variety of use-cases, and with more of the population being aware of QR codes usage, they can now be used to their true potential. 

Here's one way that Brands can utilize QR codes to enhance product knowledge and potentially increase conversion rates.

## QR Code for Scanning Items to Shopping Cart
A 'Scan-to-Cart' QR Code simply gives the ability to add an item to a retailer's shopping cart. The process should be a single-step procedure without requiring to sign-in.

Dynamic QR Codes enhance this workflow since they are trackable and capture valuable data from each scan.

![Items sold out due to supply-chain shortage](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uqxe7hp89gvt5lrpf6dj.jpg)

There are several use-cases where such a QR code can be used:

### Scan to Cart QR Codes on Promotional Flyers
I am sure you see a pile of promotional flyers in your mail on a regular basis. By using scan-to-cart QR codes next to these items, brands can enhance shopping experience and potentially increase conversion. Additionally, brands can incentivize scanning the QR codes by offering extra discounts for scanned items.

![Missed opportunity in promotional flyers](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cfrruf0ewehqsr38ldux.jpg)

More importantly, brands can track all the flyers that captured a scan, allowing them to know whether a flyer was seen or not. 

Combined with unique QR codes on flyers for each postal code, brands can analyze several data points, such as, frequently scanned items, areas with high number of 'successful' flyers,  density of iPhone vs Android users, and much more!

### Scan to Cart QR Codes for In-Store Items
Scan to cart QR codes can be used to shop for highly popular items. Imagine a clothing store which would only allow customers to try-on clothes, and all purchase orders must be  made online. This could be made easier by adding Scan to cart QR codes near the display items. 

This would allow brands to scale down the size of their stores, reducing costs and allow maintaining a larger stock in their warehouses.

Similarly, brands could display QR codes for outfits on mannequins, allowing users to quickly purchase a complete outfit.

This would be extremely useful at a furniture store like [Ikea](https://www.ikea.com/), where you could simply scan a QR code near a display furniture item and add all the required pieces for that configuration to your shopping cart.

### Scan to Cart QR Codes for 'Sold-Out' Items
If you are at a store and your favourite item is sold out in-store, a Scan-to-Cart QR code might just be what you need. The purpose of this QR code is to add the exact item to your online shopping cart, if it is available online. If not, the dynamic QR code can programatically direct to a webform to notify customers when the item is available. 

As a side benefit, you will be able to capture customers' contact information and maintain future communications. 

## Implementation 
Generating dynamic QR codes is the key ability needed for the above examples. The destination or the intent of these QR codes need to change based on pre-defined conditions. 

[Openscreen’s](www.openscreen.com) comprehensive QR code [SDK](docs.openscreen.com/overview) makes it easy to generate dynamic QR codes required for the above examples. You can also create your own workflows which can be highly valuable for innovative customer engagement and tracking assets, while capturing customer contacts. 

Using Openscreen's SDK, the following code will generate a Dynamic QR Code:
{% embed https://gist.github.com/birinder-lobana/5ab173d595e211e58b20ede62973c29f %}

See a list of helpful public gists [here](https://gist.github.com/birinder-lobana). 

I hope you see the potential of using QR code [solutions](https://www.openscreen.com/contact-us) in the advertising and customer engagement industries. It only takes a few lines of code to create a QR code workflow which can help gather valuable data for brands while creating seamless customer experiences. 

Read more: [Engage Customers and Prevent Counterfeiting with this Simple Hack](https://medium.com/@blobana/engage-customers-and-prevent-counterfeiting-with-this-simple-hack-6b45257d8d9)