The Current State of QR Codes for Marketers (With New 2025 Data)

QR Codes are everywhere—from restaurant tables and library displays to billboards and TV ads. Consumers have embraced the convenience of these scannable squares, while brands love their flexibility, trackability, and branding potential.

But how do marketers really feel about QR Codes, and what do they hope to achieve with them? A recent Bitly survey of 250 professionals uncovered how they’re using this strategic asset and where they see opportunities. Here are nine takeaways for marketers considering QR Codes in 2025.

Get the full report: How Marketers Use QR Codes in 2025

1. QR Code usage is on the rise

Noticed more QR Codes around lately? You’re not imagining it.

Ninety-three percent of marketers have increased their QR Code usage in the past 12 months, with over half (51%) reporting significant increases. What’s more, 86% expect their usage to continue growing over the next 12 months.

This data confirms QR Codes as a versatile marketing tool that teams are integrating into new strategies. For marketers not yet using them, now is the time to discover why adoption is accelerating.

The takeaway: If you’re not using QR Codes yet, you’re falling behind the competition. Start with a simple campaign—like linking print materials to digital content—to test the waters and learn what resonates with your audience

2. QR Code sentiment is widely positive

Marketers don’t just embrace QR Codes because of the benefits to their strategy—they’re also seeing strong reception from audiences.

Eighty-eight percent of marketers believe that consumer QR Code sentiment has grown more positive in the past 12 months, including 40% who believe sentiment is significantly more positive. 

What’s not to love? Consumers enjoy more convenient, real-time experiences, right from their smartphones, that make it easier to engage with their favorite brands in seconds.

What this means for marketers: The biggest barrier to QR Code adoption is behind you. Now is the time to focus on making your codes irresistible with exclusive offers and clear value propositions.

3. QR Codes show up across marketing channels

Marketers are getting increasingly creative with where and how they share QR Codes with their audiences.

Respondents incorporate QR Codes into their multichannel marketing efforts across the following channels:

• 47% use QR Codes via email
  
  
• 46% place them on product packaging
  
  
• 43% share them at events
  
  
• 40% place them in print ads
  
  
• 40% drive engagement with in-store displays

Marketers are integrating QR Codes to guide customers through a connected and multichannel journey—from scanning a code on an in-store display to receiving a digital ticket via email. At each step, QR Codes unlock new content, offers, or experiences, making it easy to deliver personalized, digital, and in-person touchpoints that keep customers engaged. Here’s what one survey respondent shared:

Your move: Map your customer journey and identify two or three touchpoints where QR Codes could bridge physical and digital experiences. Start with bridging your highest-traffic channels—like email or packaging—in your multichannel campaigns for maximum impact.

4. Timely incentives drive performance

The most successful QR Code campaigns share one key trait: They offer something consumers can’t get anywhere else, right now.

From attention-grabbing advertising to notifications from a favorite loyalty program, consumers are surrounded by offers from brands 24/7. Naturally, the best-performing QR Codes are time-bound, connected to an urgent and specific moment or experience.

The three most common content types or resources that QR Codes link to are:

• Promotional offers or coupons (51%)
  
  
• Event information or registration (49%)
  
  
• Product details or specifications (45%)

Marketers also drive engagement by linking to video demos or tutorials (37%), loyalty program signups (33%), and social media pages or survey forms (26%).

When it comes to motivating scans, time-sensitive incentives dominate: 39% of marketers report that exclusive content performs best, followed by discounts or promotional offers (33%), contest entries (14%), and loyalty rewards (12%).

Action step: Audit your current QR Code campaigns. Are they offering something exclusive and time-sensitive? If not, test adding urgency with limited-time offers, early access, or exclusive content to boost scan rates.

Get the full report: How Marketers Use QR Codes in 2025

5. Consumer education and placement pose challenges

Despite widespread QR Code adoption, marketers still see barriers in consumer adoption and scans.

The top challenges fall into two categories:

1. Education: Consumers are curious but cautious. Fifty-five percent of marketers cite lack of understanding in consumers about how to use QR Codes and 36% point to security concerns.
   
2. Placement. Forty-seven percent of marketers think consumers struggle with QR Code overload (or too many in one place), while 21% think poor placement leads to low visibility or accessibility.

Without a clear reason to scan or confidence in where a QR Code leads, consumers can overlook the most creative campaigns. To overcome these barriers, marketers can provide clear scanning instructions and call-to-actions, use trusted QR Code platforms with a reputation for strong security, place QR Codes strategically, and optimize sizing for easy accessibility.

Looking ahead, marketers expect these challenges to persist: 70% anticipate ongoing security concerns, 68% worry about consumer fatigue, and 60% expect stricter privacy regulations to impact their strategies. To build trust and drive engagement, marketers need tools that protect their brand, prevent misuse, and make customers feel confident to scan.

How to overcome this: Always include clear instructions (‘Scan for 20% off’) and use trusted QR Code platforms. Space codes strategically—one per marketing piece—and ensure they’re large enough and positioned where people naturally look.

6. Marketers are just scratching the surface of QR Code analytics

Marketers see the value QR Codes drive by not only improving the customer experience but also by delivering powerful customer insights with every scan.

When tracking performance marketers focus primarily on scan activity, with these metrics considered most important: 

• Unique users (54%)
  
  
• Total scans (50%)
  
  
• Scan time or date patterns (50%)
  
  
• Geographic location of scans (48%)

However, there’s still a gap in how much marketers are tapping into the full potential of QR Code analytics: While 52% of marketers measure conversion rates post-scan, only 31% track the complete customer journey after scanning. This represents a major opportunity to connect QR Code interactions to long-term customer relationships.

Marketers also point to the tangible business value of using and measuring QR Codes: 

• Enhanced customer experience (27%)
  
  
• Lead capture and customer acquisition (21%)
  
  
• Direct revenue generation (16%)
  
  
• Valuable customer insights and data (17%)
  
  
• Improved brand awareness and engagement (17%)

The data shows QR Codes can support multiple business objectives—from immediate conversions to long-term relationship building.

Next step: Move beyond basic scan metrics. Set up conversion tracking to measure what happens after the scan—sales, signups, or downloads. This data will help you optimize campaigns and prove QR Code ROI.

7. Deeper metrics are needed to show ROI

While marketers recognize QR Code value, most still see proving ROI a challenge.

The top three challenges they face in showing QR Code ROI are felt by an overwhelming majority: 

• 87% struggle to understand the customer journey after scanning.
  
  
• 85% have difficulties integrating QR Code data with other marketing metrics.
  
  
• 79% face tracking and attribution complexities.

These challenges share a common thread: They all require robust analytics tools that can connect QR Code scans to business outcomes, track cross-channel interactions, and convert engagement into measurable results. Some marketers are already leading the way, pairing QR codes with campaign landing pages, goal-oriented UTM parameters for their short links, and centralized tracking systems. 

Looking forward: With real-time insights and the ability to monitor performance, QR Code analytics not only track success but also help shape it. Marketers who embrace this opportunity and use tools with centralized tracking will be better positioned to optimize campaigns, prove ROI, and connect every scan to a measurable outcome.

8. Custom QR Codes are a clear win

While classic black-and-white QR Codes work, brands are embracing design customization to stand out.

Eighty-six percent of marketers say customizing their QR Code design is critical or very important to their strategy.

QR Codes have evolved from basic black-and-white squares into powerful brand extensions. Visual customization serves multiple purposes: enhancing brand recognition, building consumer trust, and increasing scan rates. While customization preferences vary, the most popular design enhancements include:

• Adding business logos (49%)
  
  
• Selecting custom colors (38%)
  
  
• Creating unique frames or patterns (13%)

In a world full of generic QR Codes, customization is what increases credibility and makes yours impossible to ignore.

Quick win: Start with simple customizations—add your logo and brand colors to your next QR Code campaign. Even basic branding can increase trust and scan rates while reinforcing brand recognition.

Get the full report: How Marketers Use QR Codes in 2025

9. QR Code redirects are key to marketing agility

An up-to-date QR Code is an effective QR Code. 

Because QR Codes seamlessly bring together in-person interactions and digital touchpoints, it’s important to be able to easily change the destination when campaigns, offers, or strategies change.

The data confirms this need: 86% of marketers say the ability to change QR Code destinations after deployment is extremely or very valuable to their marketing agility.

They walk the talk, too. A majority of respondents say that they frequently update or redirect the destination of their QR Codes after they’ve been deployed: 27% update them weekly or more frequently, while 42% make monthly updates. 

Pro tip: Always use Dynamic QR Codes that allow you to change destinations without reprinting materials. This flexibility lets you extend campaign life, fix broken links instantly, and pivot strategies without starting from scratch.

The bottom line: QR Codes have evolved from simple tools to marketing essentials

The message from 250 marketing professionals is clear: QR Codes aren’t just a trend—they’re a marketing essential. As usage continues climbing and consumer sentiment grows increasingly positive, QR Codes are cementing their place in the modern marketing toolkit.

This research reveals a fundamental shift: QR Codes have transformed from simple website links into dynamic, branded touchpoints that bridge physical and digital experiences. Today’s most successful marketers use them to drive real-time engagement, guide integrated customer workflows, and capture measurable outcomes.

The path forward requires looking beyond the scan itself. Marketers who embrace deeper analytics, strategic attribution, and advanced capabilities—from AI integration to connected packaging—will turn every scan into actionable insight and every touchpoint into a smarter brand experience.

Want to dive deeper into the findings? Download the complete QR Code Marketing Report from Bitly for detailed insights, additional data points, and actionable strategies to maximize your QR Code ROI.