How to track QR code scans

This is the part that trips people up. A static QR code has your link baked directly into the pattern — the phone reads it and jumps straight to the destination, and nothing in between ever counts the visit. A dynamic code instead points at a short redirect you control, so every scan passes through a step that can be measured before the phone lands on your page. If you have already printed a static code, there is no way to add tracking after the fact; you would have to reissue it as a dynamic one. So the first rule of tracking scans is simple: make the code dynamic before you print it.

When you need to share results or run your own analysis, export the scan history to CSV. From there you can build a chart, drop it into a client report, or pivot the data however you like. Think of it this way: the dashboard is for a glance, the export is for digging.

Be honest with yourself about the limits. Scan analytics count events, not identities — you see that a scan happened and roughly where, never who did it. Location is approximate and can be off, especially on mobile networks or a VPN. And a scan is not a sale: it tells you someone was curious enough to open the code, while what happens next — the purchase, the sign-up — is measured by whatever page they land on. Treat scans as the top of the funnel, and pair them with your own conversion tracking for the full picture.

Create separate dynamic QR records before artwork is produced. A flyer, poster, receipt and package using the same QR image will merge into one report and make placement comparison impossible. Agree on a naming convention, owner and utm_source value for each record.

Qrcado reports totals, unique scans, time trends, country, device, operating system, browser, referrer and utm_source. The purchase, form completion, review or registration remains in the destination system. Join the two datasets through campaign naming rather than claiming that a scan alone proves revenue.

Location reporting is country-level, and the product does not expose a raw per-scan identity feed.

Before publishing or printing, record the QR type, destination, owner, artwork version, physical placement and test result. For dynamic codes, also record the reporting name and any utm_source value. This makes later edits and campaign reviews much easier than trying to reconstruct decisions from the image file.

Re-test after any change to the destination, custom domain, password, schedule or printed format. A reliable QR programme treats the code as a maintained asset, not a one-time graphic.