Use QR codes to inform, excite and reassure customers on Amazon
QR codes are enjoying a resurgence on Amazon; companies are now starting to see the real benefits of adding a QR code to a product or packaging to improve brand recognition, customer retention and conversion on Amazon.
With sellers using Amazon’s captive audience of millions around the world, it’s key to put across your brand as best as possible on the platform to ensure repeat orders on Amazon, as well as placing your brand as up-to-date and digitally present.
What is a QR Code?
A QR code is a scannable image that can be read by smartphone cameras. You can link it to your chosen URL so that when the QR code is scanned, a URL link will pop up on the viewer’s phone, taking them to the webpage.
QR Codes for Amazon work by being integrated into the product packaging or infographic design for a product listing or brand store, to enable customers to expand their experience with the product and brand.
Typically, QR codes serve up instructions, how-to videos, product information in different languages and more, but QR codes aren’t a ‘marketing’ only solution.
Why QR codes are important for Amazon
1. Amazon leaves very little in the way of customisation on product listings
Amazon is unlike a website. As a seller, you have to work within Amazon’s online interface. This gives you limited space to populate your product listings. Product titles, product descriptions and keywords on Amazon use fields with character limits. As if that wasn’t enough, Amazon also sets users limits on the type of design modules you can to use in listing elements such as A+ Content (previously known as Enhanced Brand Content), your Brand Store, as well as product images and infographics.
This means often, information companies decide it is key the customer knows about or can see can’t be featured on Amazon, so it needs to be put across differently.
2. Amazon also disallows certain words based on product category and context
Forbidden keywords on product listings, brand stores and PPC campaigns are tricky issues to navigate on Amazon. This is difficult to tweak afterwards, especially if you have packaging with these keywords, as this impacts images with the packaging featuring these keywords.This problem can be made even more difficult if you ship FBA or are on Vendor Central!
If products arrive differently to how they are presented online this can pose a real problem, so products have to always reflect what they look to be on Amazon.
So QR codes are a perfect way of navigating issues with product information being banned on Amazon; they can’t control what is in your product packaging’s QR code the same way as they police content on the site.
If your product information changes, this means you don’t need to invest in new packaging and a new photoshoot, you merely update the information on the link on the other side of the QR code.
3. Amazon disallows certifications that are dated 2 years ago – even if they’re still technically valid
Amazon’s internal rules and strictures may seem excessive to the consumer, but they are blanket legal protections they use on safety product information such as accreditations, certifications and any claims.
A way you can circumvent this type of issue is by building into your product packaging a QR code that explains the information through scanning it.
4. Amazon can be disparaging towards social proofing that is not linked to an Amazon direct purchase
Using QR codes on Amazon can help work around Amazon’s inconsistency towards influencer marketing, off-Amazon testimonials or own website reviews, meaning if you have glowing feedback from your website that is for some reason getting taken down off Amazon when made into an infographic and uploaded, a QR code might be your best bet in getting that social proof to work its magic on new customers.
Use a QR code on Amazon to:
1. Drive traffic: Encourage customers to see more about your brand and buy another item by sending them to your website or Amazon brand store
2. Make Amazon-only versions of a product: Adding QR code stickers to a product such as a game or a book can take those customers to an extra digital bonus content page without redesigning the entire product package or reboxing the product
3. Encourage people to leave product reviews: Using QR codes on packaging for customers to take them straight to a review site makes the step between purchase and review simple. The easier you can make it for a customer, the more likely they are to leave a review
4. Create cross-sell opportunities: Direct people to an Amazon store page to see other products they might love from your range
5. Give value in discounts: A QR code can take your customer to a code for a future Amazon or website discount helping encourage repeat purchasing
6. Save costs when exporting: Manufacturers can add a QR code to their product which sends customers to landing pages. These pages can have translated versions of ingredients/product instructions/HAZMAT data
Cleaning company Dirtbusters use QR codes on their packaging to keep all of their products up to date without having to update packaging and make changes to Amazon.
What is best practice for Amazon QR codes?
Using a QR code is like any other marketing tool: for it to be effective, you need to ‘get it right’ and understand the reasonings behind using QR codes.
The ‘rules’ are relatively straightforward:
1. Make it visible: There is no point in having a QR code on your product or packaging if the customer cannot see it. Think about how a customer interacts with your product and make sure you put it somewhere obvious
2. Watch the size and quality: For QR codes to work, they have to be scannable. Don’t make them too small and make sure they are sharp or a smartphone won’t be able to scan them
3. Give customers a reason to scan: As a company, you know you want a customer to scan it to take them to your website to be able to, hopefully, complete a transaction of some kind. But there needs to be something in it for the customer – whether that is exclusive content or a discount on a future product
4. Tell customers what to do: QR codes are still a mystery to some people, especially generations not used to digital devices, so add text alongside QR codes clearly but briefly explaining what, how and why to scan will help them engage
Get repeat purchases and increase lifetime order value
If you sell products that have an expiring date or requires refiles ensure you get additional sales by using QR Codes! You could create a small QR code sticker that customers can stick to this kind of product saying scan to reorder.
Why not pop a QR code on a thank you for purchasing letter to include with your packages?
Gain more reviews by engaging them in your brand
Thank your customer for purchasing, give them a brief history of your business and ask them to leave an honest review on your Amazon listing.
Encourage future purchases with ‘scan to view more products for this range
If a customer loves your product, they are likely to scan and see what else you have in the range. Perhaps they didn’t find your Brand Store when they purchased on Amazon and had they known you had other products in the range they may have purchased more from you.
Amazon consulting helped us reach our ambitious goals – Impact Story – Discount Fabrics
Kavish Tanna and his team at Discount Fabrics in Leicester wanted to take advantage of the opportunity they knew was there on Amazon, but they weren’t able to prioritise Seller Central as a sales channel.
Sell Beyond helped the business improve their knowledge and grow sales on Amazon. By upgrading Discount Fabrics’ Amazon content, branding and product proposition on Amazon and teaching them how to run Amazon Pay Per Click advertising and Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) effectively, Discount Fabrics reached their ambitious business goals for Amazon and ecommerce.
Here’s Kav Tanna and the team telling their story.
Want to find out more?
Sell Beyond helps companies build a better Amazon business through training, coaching and executing on Amazon business performance. Check out our webpage about Strategy and Vision to see how you can approach your Amazon business holistically.