What Is a Good QR Code Scan Rate?
A good QR code scan rate on direct mail is around 1.6% to 3.5%; top campaigns pass 5%. Here is how to read benchmarks and set your own baseline.
Nookesh Karri · 7 min read 
A good QR code scan rate depends on where the code is printed, but for direct mail the best large dataset puts the median at 1.63%, with the middle half of campaigns between 0.43% and 3.55%. Anything above 5.29% is top-10% territory. For billboards and other outdoor ads, expect far less; for packaging and mail people keep on the counter, expect more.
What a QR code scan rate actually measures
A QR code scan rate is the share of people who saw the code and then scanned it. Linkbreakers defines it as “the percentage of people who see a QR code and actually scan it,” and gives the example of 10,000 flyers with 200 scans: a 2% scan rate.
That denominator is the hard part. Your dashboard knows how many scans happened, because each scan passes through the redirect. It doesn’t know how many people walked past the poster. So for most campaigns you estimate exposure from something you can count:
- Direct mail: pieces delivered.
- Flyers and inserts: pieces handed out or packed.
- Packaging: units sold.
- Signage: foot traffic, if you have a counter, or receipts as a proxy.
A code with twice the scans looks better until you learn it went out on ten times as many postcards.
Good QR code scan rate benchmarks by channel
The benchmarks people quote come from vendors’ own platform data, so treat each as one sample, not a law.
| Channel | Benchmark | Source and basis |
|---|---|---|
| Direct mail (median) | 1.63% | Stannp, 5 million pieces, 1,400 campaigns, 2025 |
| Direct mail (middle 50%) | 0.43%–3.55% | Stannp, same dataset |
| Direct mail (top 10%) | 5.29% and above | Stannp, same dataset |
| Direct mail | 4–10% | Linkbreakers, aggregated, no sample size |
| Product packaging | 5–15% | Linkbreakers |
| Retail signage | 3–8% | Linkbreakers |
| Email-embedded codes | 2–6% | Linkbreakers |
| Print ads (magazines, newspapers) | 1–4% | Linkbreakers |
| Outdoor (billboards, bus stops) | 0.5–2% | Linkbreakers |
The Stannp study is the strongest number here. It covers “5 million mail pieces across 1,400 direct mail campaigns across 16 different industries in 2025,” with outliers removed, and it publishes the spread instead of one headline figure. The average there is 2.22%, but a few big winners pull it up, which is why the median of 1.63% is the fairer yardstick.
Why published benchmarks disagree
Benchmarks disagree because they measure different things from different customers. Look at direct mail alone: one source says the median is 1.63%, another says 4–10%. Both can’t describe the same campaigns.
Most of the gap comes down to three things:
- Denominators. Some reports skip the rate entirely. As of May 2026, Scanova’s benchmarks count scans per code, computed only on codes with at least one scan. That tells you how busy a typical code is, not what share of people scanned.
- Skewed distributions. The same Scanova report found that “the top 5% of codes drive 78–95% of all scans.” When a few codes do almost all the work, an average says little about your code.
- Industry mix. As of March 2026, Bitly’s industry post reported 179K scans for consumer discretionary against 1.8K for real estate, and said the real estate figure isn’t underperformance. A listing flyer reaches far fewer people than a national product launch.
My take: use the Stannp distribution for anything mailed, use the channel ranges only as a rough sense of order (outdoor low, packaging high), and ignore any scans-per-code figure when you’re judging a rate.
How to calculate your own QR code scan rate
Your own baseline beats any industry number, because it holds your audience, design and offer constant.
- Give each placement its own dynamic code. One code per mailing, flyer stack or store window, so scans don’t blur together. Tracking which flyer location brought the scans walks through the setup.
- Record the exposure count when the piece goes out. Pieces mailed, flyers printed, units shipped. Write it in the code’s name or notes so you don’t lose it.
- Wait long enough. Stannp notes that engagement keeps arriving for weeks after delivery, so early results understate the final rate.
- Divide and compare. Scans ÷ exposures, shown as a percentage. Then compare against your last campaign in the same channel first, and the table above second.
- Decide whether to count unique or total scans. People rescan. Unique scans vs total scans explains why the unique figure is an estimate, so pick one and use it every time.
A worked example using Linkbreakers’ numbers: 10,000 flyers and 200 scans is 2%. If those were postcards, 2% beats the Stannp median of 1.63% and sits inside its middle range. If it were a billboard, 2% would be at the top of the outdoor range.
Sample size matters too. Linkbreakers says benchmarks are meaningful only with “500+ exposures.” On a small run of door hangers, a couple of extra scans can swing the rate by whole points.
What changes a QR code scan rate
The call to action next to the code moves the rate more than almost anything else. In Stannp’s case study, the same 27,200-piece mailing got 2,004 scans with “Scan to unlock your exclusive offer” and 182 with “Scan to rejoin.” How to write a QR code call to action covers the wording.
Three other things matter:
- Where the code sits. People holding a postcard at home have time to scan; people driving past a billboard don’t. That’s the logic behind mail ranking above outdoor in the table.
- Print size and contrast. A code that fails to scan never gets counted. Check QR code size for printing before a big run.
- The reason to scan. A discount, a menu or a booking link gives a reason. A bare logo link usually doesn’t.
If you want to test two versions properly, split the run and give each half its own code. A/B testing two QR code designs has the method.
How QRAnalytica helps you measure it
QRAnalytica gives each dynamic code its own scan count, routed through its redirect servers, with scans broken down by country, city, device and hour. Every plan includes unlimited scans, so a campaign that does unexpectedly well doesn’t hit a cap. You can create a code with the dynamic QR code generator.
The limitation: QRAnalytica counts scans, not exposures. It can’t know how many people saw your poster, so your scan rate is only as good as the exposure number you write down.
FAQ
Is a 2% QR code scan rate good?
For direct mail, yes. A 2025 study of 5 million mail pieces put the median at 1.63%, so 2% is above the middle. For outdoor ads, 2% sits at the top of the range one benchmark gives.
How do I calculate my QR code scan rate?
Divide scans by the number of people who saw the code, then express it as a percentage. For printed pieces, use the number delivered as the denominator. 200 scans from 10,000 flyers is a 2% scan rate.
How long should I wait before judging a scan rate?
Wait a few weeks for mail. Scans keep coming in for weeks after delivery, so a rate measured in the first days will usually rise.
Why do QR code benchmarks disagree so much?
They measure different things. Some divide scans by people reached, others report scans per code, and each comes from one platform’s own customers with its own mix of campaigns.
How many exposures do I need for a reliable scan rate?
One benchmark source says rates are meaningful only with about 500 or more exposures. Below that, a handful of scans moves the percentage a lot.