Why does a QR code work for reviews?
A QR code catches the customers you never reach digitally: cash payers, walk-ins and anyone whose number you do not have. It shortens the route to a single motion, because the camera app on any recent phone reads the code without an extra app.
The code is the physical twin of your review link. How to create that link is covered in the article on the Google review link. The QR code shows exactly the same address, in image form.
The real advantage is the moment. The customer is standing with you, has just been served and has nothing else on their mind yet. That is the same timing you try to recreate digitally with a message an hour later.
Where should the QR code go?
Put it at eye level, where the customer waits a few seconds anyway: at the till, on the counter, on the table or beside the card terminal. Waiting moments are the only moments when somebody willingly takes out a phone.
| Location | Works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Next to the card terminal | Yes | The phone is already in hand |
| On the table in hospitality | Yes | There is waiting time and reading time |
| At the counter or till | Yes | Fixed pause, at eye level |
| On the van | Sometimes | Works when parked, not in traffic |
| On the shopfront outside | Barely | People do not scan in the street |
| In a leaflet in the bag | Barely | Never looked at again once home |
What wording belongs next to the code?
Add one sentence saying what happens and how long it takes. Without wording nobody knows where the code leads, and an unknown code rarely gets scanned. Name your business too, so the customer knows it is about you.
- "Scan and leave a Google review. Twenty seconds."
- "Happy with us? One scan helps a lot."
- "Your opinion in twenty seconds: scan the code."
Write it in the language your customers use. In Antwerp province Dutch usually covers it, but a second line in French or English earns its place in busy shops.
What size and finish do you need?
Allow roughly one centimetre of code per ten centimetres of reading distance. Three by three centimetres is enough on a table, five by five suits a counter. Black on white stays the most reliable, including in dim light.
- Leave a white margin around it, otherwise the camera fails to recognise the code.
- Use matt paper or a matt finish, because gloss reflects the shop lighting.
- Avoid a logo in the middle when the code is already small.
- Test the code on three devices yourself before sending it to print.
ReviewsPro generates your business QR code inside the app, ready to share, to print or to stand on the counter.
How do you know whether the code delivers?
Measure the scans in numbers. A code pointing at a counted link shows how many people scan and how many go on to write a review. Without that count you spend months guessing at the effect of a small sign.
- 1Note your review count on the day you put the code up.
- 2After two weeks, compare the scans with the new reviews.
- 3Move the code once to a different spot and compare again.
- 4Keep the winning spot and drop the other one.
In ReviewsPro every scan appears in the app immediately, so on an ordinary Tuesday you can see whether the counter or the table pulls its weight.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the customer need an app to scan the QR code?
- No. The camera app on any recent iPhone and Android reads QR codes directly. The customer points the camera at the code and taps the notification that appears.
- How big should a review QR code be?
- Allow about one centimetre of code per ten centimetres of reading distance. Three by three centimetres is fine on a table, five by five works better at a counter, and on a van you want fifteen centimetres or more.
- Can I offer a discount to anyone who scans?
- No. Tying a reward to a review breaches Google policy and European consumer rules. You may ask politely, and you may ask everyone.
- Can I use the same QR code in two locations?
- Better not. Each location has its own Google profile and therefore its own link. With one code every review lands on one location and the other stays empty.
- Why is my QR code producing nothing?
- Usually it hangs somewhere without a waiting moment, or the explaining sentence is missing. Move it to the till or the table, add one clear line, and measure again for two weeks.