Who said QR codes had to be ugly?

QR codes are a way of life in China, largely due to the popularity of WeChat, China’s social media (plus-everything-else) app. QR codes are at the center of many basic functions on this platform; scan a QR code to add a friend, scan a QR code to pay for fruit at a stand on the street, scan a QR code at Starbucks to pay for your coffee, scan a QR code on a bike to unlock it, scan a QR code on a product to learn more about where it came from… You get the picture. QR codes make the world go ‘round here.

Deemed “ugly” by many in the West, QR codes have become a key element of O2O conversion in China. Just take a walk through the metro, or down a popular shopping street, look at the side of public busses whizzing by, the backseat of a a taxi, and you’ll find a maze of black dots , from small to large, begging you to take out your phone and scan to connect to the official WeChat account or campaign page. QR codes make transactions quick and seamless, and have become a permanent fixture of life in China.

According to the 2017 WeChat Data Report, there are 797 million MAU’s of Official Accounts, with the total number of WeChat MAU reaching 1 billion in March of 2018, you can bet most people are following a slew of Official Accounts. By now users chat feeds are saturated with content and most aren’t looking to follow a new account unless it’s for a very, very good reason. So how can you impress people and convince them to scan and follow you?

We’ve talked before about growth strategies for WeChat, and WeChat best practices, but what about design? Giving your QR code that extra pizzazz certainly won’t hurt.

Designers have made some incredible QR codes that are too enticing not to scan. QR codes can be embedded in a WeChat post, put on a flyer, website, and more. Here are some of the coolest QR codes we’ve seen – scan to discover the account behind the code. 

Feeling inspired? Drop us a line see how we can help jazz up your WeChat account!