What is an SMS QR Code?

SMS icon SMS text messages displayed with QR Code formats

Standard QR Codes usually link to digital content such as a website, blog post, app, or landing page, but an SMS QR Code links users to the SMS messaging app on their phone.

From here, a text message will be populated to a specific phone number, which the customer can then send. Alternatively, an SMS QR Code can have a blank message for the user to populate themselves, or a blank phone number for the same purpose.

In the world of business, an QR Code format streamlines the way you speak with your customers. The technology can be used to gather feedback about a product, redeem a discount coupon code, or simply speak to somebody within your business.

Keep QR Code campaigns responsive and relevant.

Broken links, outdated information, mistakes, and typos destroy customer confidence. Dynamic QR Codes let you edit and update content as and when you need to.

How to create a QR Code to deliver SMS text messages

A custom QR Code can take seconds to create, but it can deliver long-lasting benefits and a brilliant ROI.

2

Add your Details

Enter your details by providing the phone number and text message you'd like to send. Alternatively, you can leave the text message section blank, allowing users to fill it in themselves.

Step 2
3

Customize your Design

When you create QR codes to send text messages, customization is key. Make sure yours stands out and looks appealing to encourage more scans. You can use your company logo, different colors, unique frames, and sizes for your QR code when you choose QR Code Fusion.

Step 3

Try it out, and build your QR code!





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Benefits of SMS QR Codes

When you create QR codes for SMS messaging you can enjoy a range of benefits as a business. These include, but are not limited to the following:

No internet connection required

No internet connection required

Unlike the majority of QR codes, an internet connection isn't needed to use SMS QR Codes. Instead, customers can send a text message courtesy of the QR Code you've created with their mobile phone data. This isn't the case with most QR Code types, so you can reach more people and generate more scans.

No cost to generate

No cost to generate

Cost-effective is an understatement when it comes to SMS QR Codes. Why? Because there's no cost involved in generating them. This is rare for QR codes that offer such varied and powerful capabilities, which is fantastic for your budget and your customers’ experience.

Maximise security

Maximise security

Authentication is a key reason businesses generate SMS QR Codes, as they can help you verify a piece of information. In the world of electronic goods, for example, you can verify a purchase with an SMS QR Code on product packaging. As well as authenticating ownership, businesses can also verify warranty information.

No scanner required

No scanner required

Unlike traditional barcodes, there's no need for expensive hardware to scan a QR Code. Instead, all that’s needed is a smartphone. So, you don't have to spend money on QR Code scanners, which is a huge bonus, and you can provide more access to your codes since most people have a mobile phone in their pocket.

Boost customer communication

Boost customer communication

In just a few seconds, you can connect seamlessly to your customers via SMS message. This builds trust between you and your target audience and helps you create meaningful relationships with them. The result of this is more brand loyalty, more engagement, and more sales for your business.

More accurate messaging

More accurate messaging

Generated QR codes reduce human error to zero when it comes to customer communication.There's no need to enter phone numbers or email addresses to speak to a staff member, and customers can just scan your QR Code and click send, to open a direct line of communication. Create QR Codes today. Sign up for a free account.

Easily create Dynamic QR codes for your business

Get instant access to our custom branding, editing and evaluation features today!

SMS QR codes at work: industry examples

Featured placements for an SMS QR code

Let's explore where you could promote your generated SMS QR code:

Man holding business card

Business Cards

ncluding a QR Code on your business card allows contacts to easily scan and save your contact details directly to their phone.

You can also share more details at networking events which makes a strong impression and sparks curiosity about you and your brand.

Read more
Flyers and mobile phone

Flyers

Included on a flyer, a QR Code promotes interactivity by guiding potential customers from a printed product to an online resource.

This increases a sense of ownership and interest, and allows you to provide extra information in a digital format.

Read more
Clothing packaged with mobile phone being held

Product Packaging

Packaging is integral to your brand, but to be effective, it needs to be simple and clear.

By using a packaging QR Code, potential buyers can access more information about you, your brand, and your products without impacting design.

Read more

Industries that can benefit from SMS QR Code technology

Lots of businesses can benefit from QR Code technology, but the following industries are perfectly suited for an SMS QR Code.
QR Code for hospitality

Hospitality

For restaurants, an SMS QR Code can help you gather feedback from your customers regarding the food you serve. You can print QR Codes onto receipts, menus, or payment screens to generate instant, valuable feedback which you can use to improve your operation.

QR's for personal usage

Personal Usage

Printing any kind of QR Code is incredibly powerful for businesses. It helps you cross-promote your brand across the physical and digital worlds and bridges the gap between your customers experiencing your product and talking about it online.

You can print SMS QR Codes onto any physical materials you like, from product packaging to leave feedback, posters about an upcoming event, or to a business card with direct contact details to you. Learn more about our business card QR Code creator.

QR Codes for retailers

Retailers

Retailers, no matter what you sell and where you sell it, you can benefit hugely from SMS QR Codes in the form of discount coupon codes. By populating SMS messages with information given only to select customers, you can guarantee verification of winners and also control when your promotion starts and ends.

QR Codes for charities

Charities

Donations are crucial for charities and organizations trying to do good in the world. However, a lot of your target audience may not be au fait with online banking or know how to pay for things using credit cards. In this case, an SMS QR Code can simplify the payment process and even automatically deduce donation amounts from a monthly bill, for example.

SMS QR Codes best practice guide

SMS QR Codes are powerful for all kinds of businesses, but there are certain ways you can get more scans for your code. Let's explore some best practice tips to get the most out of your QR codes.

Be aware of text message limits

The maximum size of a text message created from a QR Code is 160 characters, including spacing. This is more than enough for most businesses, but make sure your pre-populated message doesn't exceed this number or the text won't be successfully sent.

Be aware of text message limits

Customize your SMS QR Code

Adding your company logo, experimenting with colors, and choosing unique frames will all help your QR Code generate more scans. Standing out among the standard black-and-white QR codes of your competitors, this is a brilliant way to attract more attention to your business.

Customize your SMS QR Code

Test your QR Code before printing

The minimum size of a QR Code is 2x2cm - any smaller, and it may not be scannable by users. You can go pretty much as large as you like when it comes to QR codes but always run a test to make it links to the correct location and can be scanned by any device.

When you generate a Static QR Code, you can't edit your link or change it once you hit download. This means testing that all details are correct is crucial, or you may be sending out the wrong message (literally) with your SMS QR Code.

Sign up for a free plan to make the most out of our SMS QR Code Generator.

Test your QR Code before printing

SMS QR Code FAQs

The standard format for an SMS QR Code is "SMSTO:number:textmessage."

"Number" in this sequence refers to the phone number and "textmessage" refers to the content of the text.

If you want to generate a pre-populated text message for some form of SMS marketing, you can enter your message body in the "textmessage" field. The colons in the above example separate the words and won't show up in a text, and any colons after that will appear as normal.

You can also generate a blank text to send to a phone number by leaving an empty space after the second colon. Users can manually type the text themselves in this situation.

To leave a blank phone number to be entered manually by users, use the format "SMSTO::textmessage". This won't pre-populate the desired phone number and means people can customize who they communicate with using your SMS code.

Yes, the text message shouldn't exceed 160 characters, including spaces, in order for the SMS QR Code to be successfully delivered.

Yes, you can generate SMS QR Codes for no cost with QR Code Fusion. Simply select the QR Code type you'd like to create, which in this case is an SMS QR Code, and generate a Static QR Code that automatically lines up a text to send.

Dynamic QR Codes aren't required for SMS QR Codes, but they do have lots of potential when it comes to pretty much every other QR Code option available.

Find out more about Dynamic QR Codes.

You can generate an infinite number of SMS QR Codes when you choose QR Code Fusion, however, the number of scans is limited to 250 with a free trial.

We have multiple plans available, however, with anywhere from 10,000 to unlimited scans available, depending on the plan.

Check our QR Code Generator pricing.

All smartphone mobile devices with a camera app can scan QR Codes built for SMS. When users scan a code of this nature, their SMS app will automatically open with the details you've provided your customers.

Yes, you can print as many versions of the same QR Code as many times as you like. However, the plan you have will dictate how many times your code can be scanned, so make sure that you choose an option that accommodates the numbers you're trying to hit.

A free trial, for example, allows for 250 scans, whereas our Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate plans offer unlimited scans. We also have a Starter plan that allows for 10,000 scans per month and an Essential plan that includes 150,000 scans per month for your QR Codes.