Print one QR code, customers scan, post about you, get a perk. The whole thing depends on customers actually scanning that QR code.
Illustrative guide, not a field study. Social Perks is pre-launch — the placements below are ranked by reasoning about where customers are in the moment, not by measured scan rates. Test them against your own counter and keep what wins.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ The winner: receipt-bottom ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- Bottom-of-receipt with a 1.5-inch QR code and the line "Post about us, get [perk]. Scan here." - Why it should win: the customer is already holding the receipt, already in a "what just happened" moment, already alone with their phone - A table tent, by contrast, sits flat on a surface nobody picks up
The same logic holds across every category — coffee shops, restaurants, salons, gyms. The receipt is the universal near-perfect surface.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Runner-ups by industry ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Coffee shops: 1. Receipt — the anchor placement 2. Cup sleeve sticker — a smaller QR works because the customer holds the cup at eye level 3. Counter card next to the tip jar — catches cash payers who never get a receipt 4. Table tent — flat, nobody picks it up
Restaurants: 1. Receipt with the bill 2. Sticker on the takeout bag — strong for takeout-heavy spots 3. Hostess-station card handed over with the receipt 4. Menu QR code — easily confused with "scan to view menu" QRs
Salons / spas: 1. Receipt at checkout 2. Service-completion card ("Your stylist hopes you love it. Tag us, get 15% off next time.") 3. Mirror sticker at the chair — eye-catching, but customers are usually occupied 4. Front-desk acrylic stand
Gyms / yoga studios: 1. Towel-pickup card — customers are grabbing a towel after class, a low-effort moment 2. Receipt for one-time class purchases 3. Locker-room card 4. Front-desk poster — gym-goers don't linger at the front
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ What didn't work ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- Window decals (visible from outside the shop). Conceptually appealing — you'd think passersby would scan and learn about the perk. In practice, people walking past don't stop to read window decals.
- Social media posts with the QR. Customers are already on their phone; a QR code on a phone screen is awkward to scan.
- Email signature. Email signatures are noise — almost nobody scans them.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ The 60-second installation guide ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. Generate the QR in your Social Perks dashboard (Print Poster button, /api/v1/businesses/poster). 2. If you print receipts: contact your POS provider (Square, Toast, Clover) and ask them to add the QR to the receipt footer. Most can do this in their dashboard. 3. If you don't print receipts (rare): order a stack of 2.5"×4" cards from VistaPrint with the QR + a 6-word call-to-action. Hand one with each transaction. 4. Track your scan rate. If barely anyone scans after your first ~50 transactions, the QR is in the wrong place. Move it.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ The boring secret ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Customers scan QR codes when they're: - Already holding something (receipt, takeout bag, cup) - Already in a transition moment ("paid, leaving") - Already alone with their phone (not in conversation)
Receipt-bottom hits all three. Everything else hits one or two.