A QR code review system that actually gets scanned.
Material, placement, sizing, post-experience timing, what works by industry, and the quiet rule that determines whether the whole thing works: permanent slugs.
Why QR codes beat email and SMS
QR codes work because they capture the customer at peak satisfaction. Email arrives hours later when the goodwill has faded; SMS feels intrusive; in-app feedback requires the customer to have your app. A QR scanned at checkout, at the table, or post-service hits the customer in the 30-second window where their experience is freshest and their phone is already in their hand.
Conversion data from owner-operated businesses we have worked with: QR collection converts 5–12% of customers to a rating, vs 0.5–2% for email follow-up. Same customers, same week.
The six-step setup
1. Choose a tool that issues a permanent slug
Avoid tools that change your review URL when you rename your business or restart a "campaign." Your QR is going on physical materials — print once, scan forever.
2. Download the QR as a PDF
PDF is the only format that prints crisply at any size. PNG works for screens but breaks above a few inches.
3. Size to scan distance
Rule of thumb: 1 cm of QR per 10 cm of expected scan distance. A table-top QR can be 2.5 cm. A hotel-lobby standee needs 8 cm or more.
4. Pick the placement, not the design
A boring QR in the right place beats a beautiful QR in the wrong place. The right place is where the customer has just had a positive moment and is about to leave.
5. Add a one-line context
"Scan to leave a quick review — it really helps a small business" outperforms "Scan here" by a wide margin. Customers scan if they know why.
6. Test it on your worst phone
Old Android cameras struggle with low-contrast prints, busy backgrounds, and laminate glare. Test on at least one phone older than three years before printing 500 copies.
Placement by industry
- Restaurants and cafés: Table tents and receipt corner — both. Table tent for dine-in, receipt for takeaway. Avoid the menu (customers scan the menu QR for the menu, not for a review).
- Hotels: A card in the room (bedside or desk) and a counter card at check-out. The room card outperforms because the guest is in their own time.
- Salons and barbers: Mirror at the styling station, business card handed at payment. Avoid the entrance — customers have not had the service yet.
- Gyms: Locker-room mirror, water-station, and reception. Avoid the workout floor (sweat + phones is friction).
- Clinics: Reception desk and the printed appointment card. Avoid the waiting room (people are anxious; that is the wrong moment).
Material that survives
- Restaurants: Laminated card or acrylic table tent. Matte laminate beats glossy — gloss reflects ceiling lights and breaks scans.
- Hotels: 350gsm card stock, in-room and bedside. Avoid plastic — it screams cheap motel.
- Salons: Mirror cling (static, removable) or framed at the station. Salons reorganize often; do not glue anything down.
- Gyms: Acrylic standees near water and lockers. Plastic survives humidity and chlorine; paper does not.
- Clinics: Card stock on the reception desk; avoid laminate (reception staff handle these constantly and they peel).
The permanent-slug rule
The biggest failure mode in QR review systems is reprinting. A tool that issues a new review URL every campaign forces you to reprint every menu, table tent, and card the moment you upgrade plans or change tools. The cost of reprint is usually higher than the tool itself.
The fix is a permanent per-location slug. Print the QR once on your menu redesign and let it work for years. Starvo uses permanent slugs for exactly this reason — the QR you download today still works after every plan change and software update.