The actual discount has to live somewhere before a code can point at it: a sale page, a product listing with a promo code built into the address, or a PDF version of a printable coupon customers can screenshot or print at home. MakeQR does not build a redemption system — only the QR code that points at wherever the discount lives.
Printed coupons like these suit a flyer, a direct mail postcard, a receipt insert, a hangtag or an in-store table card. There is no per-customer tracking or automatic expiry inside the code itself; the offer's rules live on whatever page the code opens, exactly as they would if that link had been shared any other way.
Pointing a coupon code at the right offer
Decide what redeeming it actually requires
Some offers just need a customer to show a page on their phone at checkout; others need a promo code typed into an online cart. Settle this before building the link, since it changes what the code should point at.
Build a link that carries the discount automatically where possible
Many online stores accept a discount code as part of the web address, such as yourstore.com/sale?code=SAVE10, which applies the code the moment the page loads instead of asking the customer to type it in at checkout.
Use a PDF page for a printable version
If the offer is meant to be printed at home or shown as a physical slip, a Pro hosted PDF page gives a link a code can point to; without that plan, host the PDF elsewhere and use a free static URL code instead.
Test the whole path as a customer would
Open the link in a private browser window, and if the offer is supposed to apply a discount code, confirm the cart actually reflects it before the code goes on anything printed.
What a printed coupon code can and can't do
The code only carries a link; it has no idea whether the person scanning it has used the offer before, and it can't stop working automatically once a sale ends. A limited-time or one-per-customer offer still has to be enforced by whoever runs the checkout or the till, the same as with a coupon clipped from a newspaper.
Auto-applying a discount versus showing an offer
A code that opens straight into a discounted cart works well for an online store whose platform supports a code in the web address. A code aimed at in-person redemption, a coffee shop punch deal or a local restaurant's flyer, usually just needs to show the offer clearly enough that staff can honor it at the register; no login or cart is involved.
Ending an offer without reprinting everything
A static code has that one landing page built in permanently, so an expired offer left on a flyer in a waiting room or a car keeps opening the same page unless that page is taken down or changed. A dynamic code can be repointed to a new offer, or to a plain page saying the promotion has ended, without reprinting whatever it's stuck to.
What the code contains
A web address, usually your sale page or a product listing with a discount code appended to the URL. No customer data and nothing that identifies who scans it travels through the code itself.
https://yourstore.com/sale?code=SAVE10Sizing it for flyers, receipts and hangtags
A receipt insert or a small hangtag is read up close and can stay near the minimum, about 20 mm. A direct mail postcard or a countertop table card, likely read from a short distance across a counter, does better at 30–35 mm so a slightly worn print still scans on the first try.
Print it at least 20 mm (2.0 cm) wide
Coupon code mistakes that cost redemptions
Linking to the store's homepage instead of the offer
A homepage link makes a customer hunt for the sale, and many won't bother. Link directly to the discounted product or sale page instead.
Assuming every store platform auto-applies a code from the URL
Not every shopping cart platform supports a discount code in the web address. Test the exact link before printing to confirm the code applies rather than just landing on a generic page.
No expiration handled anywhere
A static code doesn't stop working on its own. If the offer is meant to end on a date, that has to be enforced on the landing page or at the register, not by the code.
Printing the code without any indication of the offer
A bare code with no text gives a customer no reason to scan it. A short line, such as '15% off, scan for the code', does more good than the code alone.
Static or dynamic for a coupon code
A single flyer for a one-time sale is a clean fit for a static code — free, and there's no ongoing offer to manage. A recurring piece, a punch card or a countertop table tent kept out for months, does better with a dynamic code, so the same printed card can move from one month's promotion to the next without a reprint. It needs a free account with a verified email, and two dynamic codes stay free forever.
How dynamic QR codes workWhere coupon codes actually get scanned
- A direct mail postcard for a local restaurant links to a landing page with that week's discount.
- A retail hangtag links to a bundle offer applied automatically at checkout.
- A receipt insert links to a discount code for the customer's next online order.
- A countertop table tent at a café links to a loyalty punch card signup.