Four or five different jobs usually sit behind the same request from a shop owner, and how to get there differs shop to shop: send people to the online store, collect reviews, take orders over WhatsApp, or let customers join the WiFi without asking staff for the password. A single QR code can only do one of those at a time, so the useful first step isn't generating anything — it's deciding which action matters most in the spot where the code will be printed.
Once that's settled, get the relevant link from wherever it already lives, paste it into MakeQR, and download a free static code sized for a window sticker, a counter card or a receipt.
Getting a QR code for your shop, step by step
Decide the one action you want
A window sticker facing the sidewalk usually points at the online store or a landing page. A counter card usually asks for a review or a follow. A table or till receipt might invite a WhatsApp order or a loyalty sign-up.
Get the exact link from wherever it already lives
Copy your store's homepage address, your Google Business review link, your WhatsApp Business share link, or your router's network details, whichever matches the action chosen above.
Paste it into the matching field in MakeQR
A web address goes in the URL field, WiFi details go in the WiFi type, and a WhatsApp link, which is just a URL Meta generates, also goes in the URL field unless the shortcut type accepts the pasted link directly.
Choose static, then size it for where it's going
Static is free and fine for almost every shop use, since none of the above needs frequent updates. Download SVG for a printer making window clings or signage, PNG for a home-printed counter card.
Storefront window versus counter versus receipt
A window cling is read from the sidewalk, sometimes through glass with glare, so it needs to be larger and higher-contrast than most other shop codes, and it's the one spot worth testing at the actual viewing distance before committing to a print size. A counter card is read up close by someone already inside, so it can be smaller and pair well with a short instruction like Leave us a review. A receipt code is the smallest and most casual of the three, usually pointing at a loyalty program or a follow-up survey.
When the platform already has its own code
Google Business Profile can generate a QR code linking to your review page, and WhatsApp Business shows one linking to a chat, so it's worth checking whether those built-in codes already cover the job before making a separate one. A MakeQR code is still worth making instead when the shop wants matching colors across window, counter and receipt, an SVG file for a professional print run, or one code that can later be repointed to a different link without reprinting.
Combining more than one action on one printed piece
A shop that wants to offer both the online store and WiFi access on the same door decal needs two separate codes, not one doing both jobs, since each code holds one destination. Print them side by side with a short label under each, Shop Online and Guest WiFi, rather than relying on a customer to guess which is which.
What actually goes inside each shop code
A store or landing page code holds a plain web address. A review code holds Google's review link for that business location. A WhatsApp code holds a wa.me link that opens a chat. A WiFi code holds the network name, password and security type directly, not a link at all.
https://example-shop.comSizing for a storefront versus a counter
A window decal read from the sidewalk should follow the distance rule closely: about a tenth of the scanning distance, so a code meant to be read from two meters away needs to be around 20 cm across. A counter or receipt code, read from arm's length, can stay closer to the 20 to 30 mm floor.
Print it at least 20 mm (2.0 cm) wide
Where shop codes commonly go wrong
Putting the same code everywhere regardless of location
A code meant for a two-meter window read, shrunk down to fit a receipt, becomes too dense and small to scan reliably at that size. Make separate codes sized for where each one is placed.
Linking to a homepage instead of the specific page that matters
A code meant to drive reviews works better pointing directly at the review form than at a general homepage the customer then has to search from.
Forgetting to test the window sticker through glass
Glare and reflection off storefront glass are common reasons a code that scans fine printed on paper fails once mounted in a window. Test it in place before ordering a large batch.
Static covers nearly every shop use case
A homepage link, a review link, or a WiFi network rarely change often enough to justify dynamic, so a free static code is usually the right call. Dynamic is worth it only for something like a seasonal promotion code meant to be repointed every few months without reprinting the window decal.
How dynamic QR codes workWhat shops commonly put a code toward
- A coffee shop's window cling linking to its online ordering page.
- A boutique's counter card asking for a Google review after checkout.
- A salon's receipt linking to a WhatsApp number for rebooking.
- A cafe's table card letting customers join the guest WiFi network.