Ecommerce Marketing
How to use QR codes on product packaging
Packaging outlives the campaign page. Print a dynamic code, keep a legal archive of what the pattern encoded, and give each SKU its own ID.
Zipy editorial · 2026-07-15 · 8 min
Key takeaways
- If reprinting a SKU costs real money, the code must be dynamic.
- Separate codes for box, insert, and hangtag even when the shop URL is shared.
- Compliance may need a frozen URL. Document that choice; do not guess at the printer.
The box will still be on a shelf in eight months
Landing pages move. Packaging does not. A static QR that encodes this quarter’s PDP is a defect waiting for a 404. Encode a managed address. Change the target when the kit, warranty page, or refill store updates.
Test-scan on the actual substrate: kraft, foil, shrink wrap, and curved bottles all lie in a mockup. Quiet zone and contrast matter more than a logo in the center.
SKU-level IDs, not one brand code
A single QR for “the brand” cannot tell you whether the box, the insert, or the hangtag earned the scan. Keep destinations aligned if you want. Keep IDs different. Retail and direct-to-consumer runs should not share a code if you care which channel scanned.
Legal and support pages
Some regulated goods need the encoded URL frozen in the artwork. If that is your case, write it down and keep a static archive. Everyone else should send support, how-to videos, and refill checkouts through a destination you can edit. Put packaging codes in the same campaign as the influencer slug so you can see which surface started the week.
Related: how-to-measure-qr-code-campaigns · static-vs-dynamic-qr-codes