QR Code tracking: Get real-time scan insights for trackable QR Codes

• Contents
• How does it work?
• Requirements
• How to set-up
• QR tracking tools
• QR plan needed
• GA integration
  • How to integrate
  • Why GA?
• Benefits
• For tracking
  • Attendance
  • Employees
  • Inventory
  • Package
  • COVID situation
• FAQS
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How does QR Code tracking work?

QR Codes bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. Tracking their performance is crucial for fine-tuning them and improving future campaigns. Most campaign owners, typically confuse QR Code’s performance tracking with tracking using QR Codes. Here’s how each scenario works -

• QR tracking: Measure HOW MANY users scanned the QR Code

  With Beaconstac, every time a user scans a QR Code and successfully visits a webpage or PDF, the needle increments by one!

  Simultaneously, the dashboard also captures the location and time of the scan and the device used to scan the QR Code. With our Google Analytics integration, you can also capture information about the user profile, but we’ll get to the specifics of it later in the guide.

  The QR Code performance tracking is a quantitative measurement and displays insights as absolute numbers and percentages.

• Tracking users using QR Codes: Understand WHO scanned the QR Code

  With the QR analytics engine, is it possible to identify users who scanned the QR Code? Yes, you can do that with web cookies and map them with other campaigns later.

  Alternatively, businesses and organizations looking to power attendance systems and inventory management with QR Codes need to tie QR Codes with external systems. This external system could be a simple Beaconstac form or custom-made gated content.

  When a user scans a QR Code, they are required to input details about themselves before proceeding to the next step. The form inputs are then captured on the Beaconstac dashboard for analysis.

What do you need for your QR Code to be trackable?

• 1. A subscription to a QR Code generator with tracking

  To monitor QR Codes in real-time, you need access to the Beaconstac dashboard. To evaluate the dashboard, you can sign up for a free trial, or if you are ahead of the curve, Beaconstac offers multiple plans based on the size and requirements of a business. Get a QR Code plan for your needs.

• 2. A trackable QR Code, i.e., a dynamic QR Code

  Dynamic and trackable QR Codes are a powerful one-two punch! Most QR codes can be tracked to show insights about time, location, date, and the device OS used to scan the code. These trackable QR Codes are dynamic QR codes associated with URLs.

  The primary benefit of creating a dynamic QR Code is the flexibility to update campaigns in real-time, without switching the QR Code.

  On the other side of the spectrum are static QR Codes that are neither trackable nor editable.

How to set up a QR Code tracking system?

• 1. Create trackable QR Codes

  Let’s begin with the pre-requisites! As discussed above, dynamic QR Codes fuel QR Code tracking. Here is a list of all the different types of QR Codes you can track:

  • 1. Website QR Code
  • 2. PDF QR Code
  • 3. App Download QR Code
  • 4. Business Card QR Code
  • 5. Coupon QR Code
  • 6. Facebook QR Code
  • 7. vCard QR Code
  • 8. Google Maps QR Code
  • 9. Video QR Code
  • 10. Restaurant Menu QR Code
  • 11. Social Media QR Code
  • 12. Form QR Code
  • 13. Audio QR Code
  • 14. Image QR Code
  • 15. Call QR Code
  • 16. SMS QR Code

  To create a trackable QR Code,

  • 1. Go to Beaconstac’s QR Code generator dashboard
  • 2. Select any of the QR Code types from the list
  • 3. Fill in the particulars and customize the QR Code
  • 4. Test and generate the QR Code
  • 5. Download the QR Code in any of these formats - PNG, SVG, JPG, EPS, or PDF
  • 6. Track the QR Codes!

• 2. Track QR Code usage: How to track QR Code scans

  To begin analyzing your QR Code’s performance, select a custom date range on the dashboard to see all your QR Code analytics.

  Number of scans

  You can see the number of scans per QR Code and the total number of scans for all the QR Code campaigns combined.

  Best performing QR Code

  You will get data regarding which QR Code campaign is performing well. You can select a custom date range to interpret this data

  Time of scan

  Learn when your QR Code was scanned. This will help you fine-tune your campaigns. If you see the number of scans increasing during a particular time period, you can easily switch up your campaigns in real-time.

  Location of scan

  If you are running multiple campaigns all across the city or country, you can see which locations are thriving and tailor your campaigns accordingly. You can also use a QR Code for GPS tracking. All you need to do is enable the GPS option to see the exact location of the person scanning the QR Code.

  Device OS

  Check which OS is scanning your QR Code more in order to customize the experience for the particular OS.

• 3. Export QR Code analytics for discussions

  You can also export the analytics data to a CSV and analyze your campaigns in further detail. The CSV sheet will allow you to see how your campaigns are performing on an hourly basis.

• 4. Using the QR Code tracking data

  QR Code analytics can be used for the optimization of campaigns and physical operations. Here are some of the most popular usage of QR Code scan analytics -

  • Optimize resources at a physical business location based on scans by time and days
  • Identify the hot spots at a physical location. Let’s say the number of QR Code scans on a beer mug is way more than the ones at the order counter. It’s evident that the beer mug garners more eyeballs. This is helpful when you have to advertise your most important campaigns.
  • Based on the user demography, refine the existing campaign to appeal to your target audience
  • A/B test campaigns and user personas

Levers of a powerful QR Code tracking and reporting system

• 1. QR Code tracking with Beaconstac’s analytics engine

  Beaconstac’s solution offers a powerful analytics dashboard and shows the following data after tracking your QR Codes:

  Overview

  • 1. The Number of Scans
  • 2. Unique Visitors

  Campaign Performance

  • The top 5 best performing QR Code campaigns
  • The top 5 under-performing QR Code campaigns

  Reports

  • 1. Overview of scans by location
  • 2. Overview of scans by time
  • 3. Overview of scans by device
  • 4. Aggregate Scan Details*
  • 5. Individual Scan Details*
  *All these reports can be exported as a .xls file

  Campaign Distribution

  • 1. Track the type of QR Code campaign (webpage vs PDF vs coupon) that is yielding the most results

• 2. Elevate real-time insights of QR Code tracking with the Beaconstac 🤝 Google Analytics tracking integration

  You can also integrate Google Analytics into Beaconstac’s QR Code solution to get more insights into the audience such as:

  User Behaviour

  • 1. The interests of the user who scanned the QR Code
  • 2. New user vs returning use
  • 3. Engagement – duration of visit, sessions, page views, bounce rate

  Demographics of the user who scanned the QR Code

  • 1. Native language
  • 2. The country
  • 3. The city
  • 4. The age
  • 5. Gender

  The system used to scan the QR Code

  • 1. Browser used
  • 2.Operating System used
  • 3.The Service Provider

  Mobile used to scan the QR Code

  • 1. Operating System used
  • 2. Service Provider
  • 3. Screen Resolution of the phone used

• 3. A real-time reporting system from a QR Code tracker (Beaconstac + Zapier)

  Beaconstac allows campaign managers to set SMS notifications every time a user scans a QR Code. In addition to that, we also send weekly performance reports to the account owner’s email address, so that you do not have to revisit the dashboard each time.

  With our Beaconstac and Zapier integration, you can do a lot more. When a trackable QR Code is scanned, the QR Code analytics are sent to Zapier. Using Zapier, you can then send this data to any compatible app such as Google Sheets, Excel, Kissmetrics, Gmail, Mailchimp, or Slack.

Picking a QR Code plan to enable dynamic QR Code tracking & reporting

Every business is different, and so are the requirements. Our plans are built for businesses of all sizes. Below is a detailed comparison of the kind of analytics and tracking insights you would get under each QR Code plan.

The factors you should consider while making a choice are - the expected scans on your QR Code, would you need scans by location (helpful for global businesses), are deep user insights important to your campaign, and is a reporting system needed.

QR Code tracking with Google Analytics: Everything you need to know

Not only do you get analytics on the dashboard, but you can also integrate your QR Code campaigns with Google Analytics. Google Analytics allows you to get more insights into your audience - desktop or mobile, demographics data, and the customer journey.

How to integrate with Google Analytics

• STEP 1: Create/Sign in to your Google Analytics account.
• STEP 2: Create a property in your Analytics account.
  • Click on Admin
  • Click on Account and select the account to which you want to add the property.
  • Create a new property from the menu.
  • Type in the name of your company’s website.
  • In the Website URL, type the URL of your QR Code campaign. You can copy this link from the dashboard.
  • Once you are done, click on ‘Get Tracking ID’.

• STEP 3: Insert the Google Analytics code into your Beaconstac account.

  On the Beaconstac dashboard,

  • Click on your Account Name.
  • Select ‘Account’.
  • Scroll down to Organizations.
  • Under GA Code, enter your Tracking ID and hit ‘Save’.
  • On your Google Analytics dashboard, you will start seeing analytics like so:

Do you need Google Analytics integration?

While most of the information is available on the Beaconstac dashboard, Google Analytics allows you to see an overview of your entire website. You can view:

1. The number of visitors
2. The device used - OS and desktop/mobile
3. The browser used
4. Demographics of visitors
5. Referral Sites
6. PPC campaigns
7. Best performing keywords
8. User behavior

Integrating Google Analytics in the dashboard allows to map out the entire customer journey and make changes to your QR Code campaigns in real time remotely.

How does QR Code analytics help businesses grow?

QR Codes to track conversions for print media

A print media campaign is deemed successful only when your target audience takes action - from visiting your website, following on social media, or by downloading your app.

QR Codes make it possible.

To monitor your conversions for print media, log in to Beaconstac’s dashboard to track your campaign by the number of scans, location of scans, number of users, and even the type of devices used.

QR Code tracking helps you understand your target audience, analyze your top-performing campaign, and alter it based on the inputs received.

QR Codes to understand user behavior in real-time

Right from email marketing to offline marketing campaigns, it is imperative to understand user behavior. With QR Codes, you can analyze user behavior in real-time to either fine-tune, remove, or upgrade your existing marketing campaign.

QR Codes to project a store heatmap

Heatmap analytics allows you to grasp your visitors’ actions within your stores, which section of the store they are most interested in, what products they are interested in, and what receives the most traction.

Understanding a store’s heatmap allows you to learn more about user behavior, identify the top-selling products, and also improve the aspects that push customers to buy.

Beaconstac’s QR Code analytics allows you to monitor the store’s heatmap by tracking the number of visitors that have scanned the QR Code, the location of the QR Code scanned, and the device used.

QR Codes to retarget consumers

Irrespective of the type of business you own, you know how difficult it is to bring back customers who bounced. But, what if you could bring them back?

With Beaconstac’s QR Code tracking features, you can retarget customers who scanned your QR Codes to convert them into successful customers even after they have left your store.

Retarget them on Facebook and Google with the relevant marketing campaign and entice them to make a purchase!

QR Code tracking to increase social media footfall

QR Codes can be a great tool to gauge your target audience and increase your social media footfall. Make use of Beaconstac’s QR Code targeting features and set up split A/B testing to evaluate your audiences and assess their response to your content, CTAs, and other interactive media.

Make use of a relevant social media QR Code, log in to Beaconstac’s dashboard and carefully evaluate the metrics of your campaigns with the aid of Google Analytics to retrieve granular data about the campaign.

Modify the campaign based on the inputs of your evaluation and thus, increase your social media footfall.

How are QR Codes used for tracking people and assets?

QR Codes for attendance tracking

Say goodbye to unsafe biometric attendance checking and introduce QR Codes to track attendance.

Track attendance of your employees in real-time with QR Codes. Embed QR Codes at either the entrance or on ID cards. Once the QR Code is scanned, mark their respective attendance.

QR Codes for employee tracking

Tracking employees physically is not only unsafe but it can also lead to human error.

For offices and industries that occupy a large space especially, QR Codes for employee tracking can help spot a colleague or a manager to arrange a meeting easily.

Using Beaconstac’s analytics, track employees at regular intervals in real-time based on their recent scan, location, and time.

QR Codes for inventory tracking

Although barcodes are traditionally used to track inventory, they are not as easy to use as QR Codes.

QR Codes for inventory tracking can help warehouses track their inventory and products that are in transit by merely scanning the QR Code on shipping containers based on the last time it was scanned, the location of the scan, and even the time of the scan.

QR Codes for package tracking

Tracking packages with just a reference number can be tedious.

QR Codes make tracking packages a lot more efficient with Beaconstac’s analytics to help track packages in real-time by analyzing the last scan, the time of the scan, and its location.

In addition, QR Codes for package tracking can be customized for different packages depending on the need, are easy to scan, and can be integrated with product inventory systems.

QR Code for COVID tracking

With most countries across the globe re-opening, it is important to keep track of COVID-19 to prevent its mass spread.

Help fight the virus by embedding QR Code contact tracing forms at entry/exit points of a building and ensuring visitors fill the form. The forms can be later tracked based on the input received to separate healthy visitors from infected ones.

Make use of QR Codes to track the spread of COVID at apartments, communities, office buildings, and restaurants to help the local authorities track the heatmap of infected visitors and ones that are possibly exposed to the virus.

QR Code Tracking - FAQs

Can QR Codes be tracked?

Yes. Dynamic QR Codes can be tracked on the Beaconstac dashboard and Google Analytics.

How to track QR Code scans in Google Analytics?

Use the link to the QR code to create a new property and insert the tracking code in the Beaconstac dashboard.

If a user scans a QR Code can the device be tracked?

Upon scanning, only the user’s device type is logged, along with the location and time.

How to check the QR Code history on an iPhone?

This is currently not possible. Apple’s camera app does not keep a history of previously scanned QR Codes.

How do I find a QR Code?

You can find all the QR Codes you create on the dashboard.

Can I track Static QR Codes?

No. You cannot track Static QR Codes. If it is a URL type Static QR Code, then you can connect Google Analytics to view the analytics there.

How is Beaconstac’s QR Code tracking different from Bit.ly’s QR Code tracking?

QR Codes created with Bit.ly are restricted to reporting the number of scans. However, with Beaconstac, in addition to tracking scans, you can analyze in-depth user behavior and break scans by location, time, and device.