SMS QR Code: How It Works and How to Make It Convert

Typing out a phone number to text a business is friction most people won't bother with. An SMS QR Code removes that friction entirely. Scan the code, and your phone opens Messages with the number and message already filled in. One tap sends it.

That simplicity is why SMS QR Codes show up on restaurant table tents, event badges, product packaging, and retail signage. They turn a passive print surface into an instant two-way conversation, without asking the reader to do any of the work.

But the code is the easy part. The real decisions about what number to use, what the pre-filled message should say, and whether to go static or dynamic determine whether a scan actually converts into a reply, an opt-in, or a customer.

This guide covers how SMS QR Codes work, how to create one in Uniqode, and what to get right before the code goes live.

How text messaging QR Codes work

An SMS QR Code is a scannable code that opens your phone's messaging app with a phone number and message already filled in. When someone scans a test messaging QR Code, their phone reads that string and passes both the number and pre-written text directly to the native messaging app. The user just hits send.

The character limit inherited from standard SMS applies here too: 160 characters for plain text, around 70 if the message includes emoji or non-Latin characters. Go over that, and the message splits into linked segments, which affects cost and delivery.

Whether the code is static or dynamic doesn't change how the scan works. It only determines whether the destination number and message can be edited after the code is printed.

How to create an SMS QR Code on Uniqode

Creating an SMS QR Code in Uniqode takes five steps, and the character count matters at every one of them.

1. Choose the QR Code type

From the list of QR Code types, choose SMS QR Code.

2. Write the message

Enter the pre-filled text in the message field. Uniqode's live character counter tracks the total as you type, so you can see exactly when the message is about to spill into a second SMS segment.

3. Customize the QR Code

Customize the colors and pattern of your QR Code. You can also add a background image to the QR Code or add a frame around it.

5. Export and publish

Download the code in the format the placement calls for: PNG for digital, a higher-resolution PDF or SVG for print.

Where SMS QR Codes actually get used

SMS QR Codes show up across a wide range of everyday scenarios. Here's how companies put them to work.

1. QR Codes for traveling

Today tourists have a tendency to use technology in every possible way. QR Codes help to streamline important steps in a traveler's journey. Things such as checking bags, going through security, booking a flight, and paying for extra luggage.

Many airlines also use QR Codes for promotion and boarding. Scanning boarding passes will not only enable the passengers' smooth transit in the airport, but it will also guide them to the right gate.

2. QR Codes for entertainment

QR Codes can also be used in leisure and entertainment.

People can go to concerts, festivals, cinema, or other activities by scanning the event QR Codes they receive as confirmation. They can be used in printed collateral, in large-format advertising, to make check-in faster or on participants' badges.

Digital marketing strategies are essential in the gaming industry, with companies spending billions of dollars on digital advertising. This proves how difficult it has become to convince gamers to buy a specific game, especially if you are new in the industry.

One way to increase awareness of your product is by using QR Codes in advertisements and stores promoting the new game.

3. QR Codes for membership renewals

Membership renewals can be done while accessing a QR Code. To speed up the process, a user can scan the provided code with their camera, and their account information can be pulled up on the screen.

Also, museums and art galleries can use QR Codes to provide detailed explanations about the items and artworks displayed. An exhibit can display only so much information, but a QR Code can show additional images, data, videos, or videos.

Traditional guiding tours can become digital video guides for visitors. For instance, the Cleveland Museum of Art and Bologna's Museum of Archeology use QR Codes to do audio tours of their collections.

4. QR Codes for marketing and promotions

Whether your goal is to promote, cross-sell or upsell, a QR Code is a great way to supply additional information. Create a highly engaging landing page for your campaign and generate the code. This will spread awareness, drive traffic to your site and even convert leads into customers.

Another marketing idea is to send users your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok accounts so they can "like" or "follow" your social media company accounts.

Another tip for eCommerce companies is to place QR Codes on product labels that send the user to pages with more information or guides on how to use the product.

Learn how to create a highly engaging QR Code landing page for your campaign.

5. QR Codes for surveys

Run a survey campaign with a QR Code to gather customer feedback. A great idea is to put on a prize or a raffle for completing the survey by a specific date. Surveys are essential to making better business decisions, so don't hesitate to try new ways of getting these in.

It is also important for your organization to know how your employees feel, and using a survey QR Code is a simple way to find out. Surveys can always stay anonymous, and by doing this, you can improve your valuable team members' quality and mental health.

6. QR Codes for restaurants and bars

Restaurants use QR Codes to give their customers more information about the menu, offers, and special deals they might have. Scanning the codes could also help a person check the calorie, recipe, or even allergy information.

A social media strategy that could increase followers and subscribers might be to display recipe videos from their YouTube channel. Alternatively, to attract customers, you can print QR Codes on boards placed outside your restaurant that encourage people to scan the code to get a free beverage with their meal.

Another example that QR Codes can facilitate is with patient triage solutions. Global communication provider, VoiceSage, responded to the need for Catalyst Coffee and helped them implement new safety measures when bars and restaurants started reopening in September 2020.

They used a QR Code that opened a rich media message where customers input their details when visiting the cafe. No app was required to download. The main advantages of scanning the QR Code to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community are:

• To trace the people who may have become in close contact with someone infected
• To notify them via bulk SMS and advise people to self-isolate

Best Practices to Follow for QR Codes in Messaging Campaigns

An SMS QR Code is only as good as the message behind it. A few practices decide whether a scan converts or gets ignored:

• Stay inside the 160-character SMS limit (about 70 with emoji or non-Latin characters). Go over it and the message splits into linked segments, which can add cost and change delivery behavior.
• Use a full phone number for one-off flows like support or feedback. Use a short code for opt-in and keyword campaigns running at volume, since short codes are built for that traffic and require carrier registration.
• Choose a dynamic QR Code if there's any chance the number or message will need to change. A static code locks both in permanently; a dynamic one lets you edit the destination after the code is already printed, no reprint required.
• Check scan analytics on dynamic codes (device, time, location) so a message-copy change is a test with a result, not a guess, instead of a rewrite you hope worked.
• Leave room in the message for a specific ask instead of spending the full character budget on branding alone. A message with no clear ask gets scanned and ignored just as often as one that's never scanned at all.
• Test-scan the code with your own phone before it goes anywhere near print or a live event, on both a phone number and a short code destination if the campaign uses more than one.