The fashion industry is to date one of the biggest contributors to environmental issues. Matter of factly, the modern textiles, which are used in such businesses, rely heavily on petrochemical products that come from the same companies that drive greenhouse gas emissions (Dottle and Gu, 2022). These materials, when discarded, might create microplastics that harm marine life.
As people are now becoming more aware of the threats the fashion industry poses on the environment, they demand for a more sustainable and ecological way to advance this business. An article in Forbes wrote that everyone is starting to wake up to the fact that consumer preference has changed and they want more eco-friendly products.
Some of these fashion lines shifted to a new trend by creating a positive impact on the environment. Dottle and Gu (2022) also wrote that they started to utilize recycled materials and “ecologically grown cotton” for their garments, footwear, and even art pieces.
Now, another revolutionary technology is here to make the fashion industry more sustainable, and that is QR Code.
QR Code: The Basics
QR Code is a shortened term for Quick Response Code. It comes in the form of a small square, black and white lines (or dots and other shapes), four bigger shapes in the corner known as “eyes,” and occasionally, a company logo.
The said barcode originated from an automotive company in Japan (Denso Wave), was designed for their products, and was particularly designed to ease the burden on cashiers encoding bulky information in cash registers.
In the early days of the QR Code, specialized devices were required to scan information from a QR Code. But with the advent and massive distribution of smartphones, a user will only need a legitimate application, and all information and other features can be accessed by just placing the QR Code within the phone’s camera.
Why the Fashion Industry Should Consider Using QR Codes on Clothing Tags
QR Codes may be small, but they are versatile. Here are some of the ways these little barcodes can help the fashion industry transition to sustainability:
Innovativeness
Imagine accessing a lot of information or making transactions in just a scan of a small barcode. Planning to sell clothing? Tell your customers what your products are about? Educate them how to use or reuse your products? Give away freebies and raffle coupons? A QR Code allows you to do all these things and more.
Cost Effectiveness
A simple QR Code doesn’t require you to spend a dime. In qr-cloud.com, just access the free plan and create a static or dynamic code for your clothing or clothing tag.
Engaging
Nowadays, a lot of things can be done with QR Codes. You can provide reviews and feedback to a certain product, or message customer service for assistance or maybe some fashion advice. All you have to do is to scan a code from a clothing or its tag.
Eco Friendly
Printing brochures or other promotional publications not only sacrifices hundreds or thousands of trees for a few pages, but it also uses other elements that could potentially harm the environment such as those used for printing machines, inks, gas for distributions, and human effort. While QR Codes can simply be printed on the clothes, or if you prefer, digitally embroidered. Just make sure you are using a dynamic QR Code here so that it can be updated and tracked.
Unique Design
The one-of-a-kind appearance of QR Codes makes them fit for your clothing designs. Include one in a t-shirt or any type of clothing with print and keep your customers engaged. You can provide a variety of information ranging from what your company is about, fashion advice, clothing care, and the like… the possibilities are endless.
Maximizing the Use of QR Codes in Clothing Tags
Give Information about the Product
A QR Code can help your customers know about what you are selling, what it is made of, and other background information that you think will appeal to them.
Offer a Variety of Products
You can also use QR Codes to give your customers a tour of your photo gallery where customers can browse and choose various clothing designs.
Tell Customers about Your Company
A QR Code can also take your customers to your website’s about page, where you can tell them what your company is, what it advocates, and what kind of fashion items you are selling.
Give Discounts and Freebies
Any loyal customer deserves a treat, and a QR Code can give them through discounts and giveaways. Just paste the link on a QR generator, save the code, and print it on your clothing tags or product package.
Assist Customers
In selling your products, it is natural that customers will ask questions, advice, and other things. You can link your contact details or the customer service email to a QR code. Help is only one scan away.
Get Customers to Download Your App
Nowadays, online shopping applications have become a trend, and you may want one for your shop as well. You can create a QR Code for your app and get your customers to download it. This will be a convenient way to shop since they do not need to travel, roam around, or wait in a long queue to buy items.
Get Reviews and Feedback
A good review will increase your chances of generating leads. Connect your review and rating forms to a QR Code and get customer feedback in an instant.
Promote New Products
Do you want to keep your customers updated with the latest trends? Power it up with QR Codes! Take them to your online gallery where you can feature the newest fashion item in your shop.
Engage Customers in Social Media
Social media is one of the best places online to promote your fashion line, since most people spend their time browsing it, scrolling through the news feeds, and getting updates or making comments and reactions. Get your customers to comment quickly on your items by linking your post to a QR Code.
How to Create QR Codes on Clothing Tags
Planning to create a QR Code for your fashion line? You’ve come to the right place. QR Cloud offers a variety of ways to make your design not only attractive but functional and sustainable as well. Here are the ways to create your QR Code:
Choose a QR Code type
Different QR Codes are created for different purposes. What are you exactly generating a code for? You can create a code for your social media page, review and feedback form, contact details, photo galleries, official store app, and so on.
Create QR Codes
Depending on your purpose, you may copy and paste a link or text on the QR generating form, or enter a particular information.
Customize
You will want a unique-looking QR Code to promote your brand as well. Good thing, QR Cloud can do that for you. The website contains features that enable you to upload your own logo and change the color of your QR Codes. However, be careful not to lighten the foreground and darken the background as it will affect the functionality of your code.
Test Scan
Before putting your QR Codes to use, remember to scan test them first to verify if your code works or if something needs to be changed.
Download and publish
After the test scan, click CREATE QR and download it. Print it on your clothing tags or the garment themselves and keep your customers engaged with the latest trending technology.
Additional Mods
This step is optional, but you may want to give it a more personalized touch by laying it out on a page design website and adding a call to action (e.g. Scan me).
Track the reach and engagement of your code
Statistics are a great tool for making decisions about the direction you want your fashion line to go. For this reason, always opt for dynamic QR Codes as these are trackable and easily modified.
Closing Thoughts
The mark of a true fashion statement does not rely on how much Carbon has been emitted to produce polyester, how many animals have been harmed for that chic leather or fur, or how many trees have fallen for a single page of your advertisement. A true fashion statement is something that is not only eye-catching but most importantly, positively impactful to the environment.
With QR Code, promoting your fashion line and generating leads do not need to harm our planet anymore.
So, are you gearing up for an eco-friendly fashion line? Use QR Codes on clothing tags and take sustainability to a whole new level.