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QR codes with purpose: Connecting consumers to stories behind products
According to Precedence Research, QR code labeling was a $1.93 billion market in 2025, and strong growth is predicted going forward, despite how well-established and widespread this packaging feature has already become. While they’re used for all sorts of purposes, an important application is creating closer connections between consumers and the products they buy.
As this article from TEAM Concept, a commercial printing service provider in Chicago, explores, the impetus for brands to adopt QR codes as part of a storytelling marketing strategy has several interlocking facets.
Courtesy of TEAM Concept
Marketing and Advertising Drive Market Dominance
QR codes can be used for many purposes, from package tracking in logistics to payment processing in hospitality, but the lion’s share of the current market (34.2%) comes from marketing and advertising spending. Likewise, retail and consumer goods dominate as focal points for use, and dynamic codes account for two-thirds of the market, since they allow the endpoint to be changed as needed, rather than always ending up at the same static location.
Brands flock to QR codes for this combination of flexibility and customer connection. New products struggle to gain momentum because, without brand recognition, consumer trust is nonexistent, and packaging with scannable codes quickly dispels skepticism.
In terms of how a QR code functions in this context, there are a few effective brand deployments worth noting. Back in 2013, fast-food giant McDonald’s introduced QR codes on product packaging to share brand facts alongside nutritional information. Customers value this type of transparency, particularly from a company that has previously been called out for arguably opaque practices around ingredients and product healthiness.
QR codes also aid in spreading messages of sustainability, which 50% of consumers see as a barrier to making more eco-friendly purchasing choices, according to a 2024 Deloitte survey of U.K. consumers. Companies integrating sustainability into every layer of their business rarely have enough label real estate to explain those efforts. Physical packaging constraints make it nearly impossible to tell a complete story about complex, eco-friendly operations.
QR codes bridge this gap by linking shoppers to expansive digital content where a brand’s sustainability story is shared in exhaustive detail.
Beyond nutritional facts, these digital extensions serve as a safeguard against claims of greenwashing. By providing direct access to third-party certifications and supply chain data, brands can validate their environmental impact in real-time, effectively moving the conversation from marketing claims to verifiable evidence.
So, it really doesn’t matter what type of story a company wants to tell about its products. Using a QR code efficiently conveys the narrative.
A Gateway to Further Engagement
QR codes as a storytelling portal for brands dealing in tangible products deserve attention, though there’s more to it than a one-time engagement. Trust-building that results in subsequent sales and long-term loyalty goes hand in hand with the potential to funnel customers into further digital touchpoints.
Let’s say a code on packaging takes a customer to a brand’s social media post highlighting the work it is doing to cut its carbon footprint. From here, there’s the opportunity to convert the casual viewer into a committed follower, subsequently exposing them to posts that further reinforce the brand identity and company culture. This multilayered engagement sells time after time, and even has the potential to enhance a company’s engagement through algorithmic visibility, which is always a fickle thing to contend with.
A Complete Scalable Operation
Using QR codes to connect with consumers and tell product stories successfully doesn’t have to be limited to large organizations, nor should it be used only by ESG-aligned brands. Because this tech is incredibly cheap to set up and manage, with dynamic codes that mean there’s no need to constantly redesign and reprint packaging, even small startup brands have the option to adopt it from day one.
As the story of the company changes, QR codes’ adaptability enables this to be conveyed over time as new customers join the fold and the following expands both in-person and online. It is not a process without its potential sticking points, and it requires ongoing management and a close eye on metrics to ensure the codes and the content they point to are working as intended.
This story was produced by TEAM Concept and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
