Customer loyalty is vital for the modern brand. With online shopping and worldwide shipping available for almost everything, your customers are no longer in the palm of your hand. There's always a competitor bidding to get their products in front of your customer's eyes. That's why it's essential to offer them every opportunity to engage with your brand, and the good news is there is a surprisingly simple solution for this.

 

Keeping your options simple

Where customer engagement is concerned, speed, ease of use and familiarity are vital to making customers feel comfortable. They need to know how to get in touch and what the information exchange will be when they engage. Enter the humble QR code.

First developed nearly 30 years ago in 1994, initially invented to track automobile parts during the assembly process, the Quick Response (QR) codes ability to scan and find specific information quickly makes them so valuable for brands today.

QR codes may have dipped in and out of fashion over the past decade, but they are definitely having a renaissance right now. Users no longer need to download additional apps to use them, as was the case not so long ago, inhibiting adoption. Instead, they can point their phone's camera at the code and be transported instantly to a webpage of your choice.

 

Preparing for upcoming regulations

This accessible information will become even more critical as the EU regulation requiring Digital Product Passport (EUDPP) gets closer. This initiative forms part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), a set of rules adopted in 2022, which aims to track the components and origin of raw materials used in consumer goods to encourage the making of green products and demonstrate circularity.

Whilst this law has yet to come into force, fashion brands are beginning to demonstrate their circularity and sustainability efforts to let their customers get closer to their eco-efforts and appeal to the growing movement of conscientious customers choosing to support more sustainable products.

According to a study in 2022, three-quarters of all consumers surveyed said that sustainability is somewhat or very important to them when considering a purchase, with two-thirds saying they would pay more for a more sustainable product. So even without the Digital Product Passport regulation being in place, it's clear that brands need to demonstrate their credibility to customers, which can even benefit their bottom line.

 

Getting your QR code placement right

Getting started is simple enough: you just need to know what information you want to link to and where you want to allow your customers to find the QR code. These two are as important as each other, as the placement in or on the garment determines the information you're linking to.

For example, suppose you're placing a QR code physically on the garment, such as a branded woven label on the neckline or a content care label. In that case, you need to ensure that the information on the linked webpage will remain consistent and active for the life of the garment.

On the other hand, hangtags and price labels are generally used pre or during the sales process, so the information on the QR code here can be changed more frequently and is likely to be more seasonal as it's not intended to be used long after the purchase.

After you've made this decision, the process is much more straightforward than others would have you believe. It's as simple as creating a new, or even using an existing, webpage and then creating a unique QR code, which even the simplest of Google searches will tell you is a simple task.

 

Made to fit in with your brand

As an expert in the automated handling of variable data, Checkpoint Systems is the ideal partner to help you get more connected with your customers. As brands rightly want to own the online interaction between the consumer and their garment, you need an expert to help you facilitate this exchange. So, once you've decided where your code will link to and where you want it placed, we can incorporate it into your branding and trim items in no time.

We can place QR codes on a variety of different trim items, from simple hangtags and cardboard hangers to pocket tags, printed fabric labels and even wovens. Our strategic production locations worldwide, alongside our global production standards, mean that we can provide consistency across our product portfolio, so you never have to worry about the performance of your QR codes.

 

Would you like to learn more about how QR codes can be applied to your garment trims? Contact us today, and our experienced team will talk you through your options.