QR Codes: How to Use them Better in 2026

I'll be honest, my favorite part about marketing is definitely not the technical side, but everybody needs some practical information every once-in-a-while. QR codes have become pretty common and for a great reason. They create a choose-your-own-adventure type of marketing experience for customers, allowing them to bridge real-life and digital interactions with organizations. They are also incredibly useful. As somebody interested in user experience, I love when brands take initiative on making the customer’s life easier.

Currently most small businesses use QR codes to manage information transfer or for simplifying things like registrations. For tips on this, I would simply say don’t miss the opportunity to create a branded product. Branding builds trust, recognition, and belonging. As we have talked about before in the blog about personality types here, for some markets and people, this is incredibly important. Customization of QR codes is more possible today, so make the most of it. On your end, QR codes and other 2D barcodes can hold a lot of information. 2026 will bring with it more ways to track data from QR codes more effectively and securely and it will also come with more QR code agility. If you are a small business, this is important, because it is also time-saving. Make sure you look into dynamic QR code options in 2026 as they become more accessible.

Aside from the backend differences and branding, I encourage you to get creative about how you are using QR codes next year. With more customization and agility comes an ability to personalize. If you are a small business, you can now create exclusive content, loyalty rewards programs, and individualized services using QR codes. Often times, what seems like a small upgrade is actually game changing for those willing to try new things out. Go for it.

How Do People Use Your Website?

Myers-Briggs, astrology, the enneagram —sometimes I wonder why humans are so obsessed with personality quizzes, but when I consider it from a neurological perspective, it seems logical we would want to classify ourselves in order to better make sense of our own behavior (or that of others). Even before scientific studies were so prevalent, observational data has been collected across a variety of cultures and centuries of human societies. As with anything, when some patterns are consistent across such a broad spectrum of data, they probably hold some truth, even if we aren’t sure why. What does this have to do with your website or social media calendar?

It would be unwise to completely dismiss these tools from the table when considering your market. Look at personality tools like quick guides for the user on the other side of your browser. Which personality type does your marketing tend to attract and how do those people tend to interact with the world? Use this information to funnel your focus and what you invest in with design and content. As an example, if your brand is geared towards people who love to explore, they are likely curious and into novelty. Make your product discoverable on other platforms that would appeal to their natures. Keep your content fresh.

If your audience is more of a homebody, they probably value safety. Make sure their information is secure. Focus on building a more steady, loyal (and maybe small group?) online community. What about the rule follower or planner in the group (Enneagram type 1 anybody)? Communicate clearly and often, and don’t be too cheeky. Make sure your navigation is obvious on your platforms and try to include calendars when possible. These are the people that want to know when their item has shipped, for instance.

Obviously these aren’t the only categories to explore, but you get the idea. Which personality test can you NOT make all about you, but instead use to understand your clients instead? How can you serve this group more fully now that you better know what they need?

Give them the Fun: The American Market Appreciates Indulgence

In some countries, like Russia, Portugal, Italy, China and India, restraint is not just a virtue, but a way of life. Generations are raised with the undercurrent that fun and enjoyment are excess or occasional gifts meant to spice up life - at least for the majority of the people who live there. In indulgent countries, like Mexico, Sweden, Australia, the UK, and the United States, fun is virtually viewed as a right.

If America was a person, she may not be the life of the party (that’s definitely Mexico), but she’s absolutely an extrovert. She likes a challenge and loves to work hard, but she also feels fulfilled with many kinds of friendships, some of which are casual and care-free, and struggles to thrive under systems with a need for too much discipline or self-control. While of course there is a spectrum of values in the population, the average American is more indulgent in nature than the majority of the world.

If you can understand this as a small business, maybe you can even learn to love, work with, and even mature it into a deeper version of itself. Online, Americans are often the connectors. They use the internet for the loose socialization they appreciate in reality and explore other countries and spaces frequently. They are quick and open to sharing fun information, trends, and humor.

Americans are less likely to judge your business for candidly expressing itself and more appreciative of direct, honest discussion. Their general ability to connect quickly also allows you to add variety to your marketing without too much fear of losing your audience. They are used to diversity and, in general, find fast ways to relate.

The ability to savor the pleasures in life is often preceded by an optimistic disposition. It may be hard to believe at times, but this is actually true of America. We are optimists. Even in the midst of struggle, we like partaking in joy, humor, and friendly comedy. No matter what your niche is, keep in mind all Americans want to have fun. It’s your job to find what’s fun for your market.

A Short-Term Mindset

With so much on socials about how modern generations lack focus, it probably comes as no surprise that Americans score low in terms of long-term orientation. If your audience is largely from the states, then they are probably short-sighted. What may be enlightening to some, is how this orientation impacts the way we tend to interact with the organizations we come across.

American audiences have less patience when it comes to visible results. Yes, this may mean you need to manage expectations clearly and highlight the ares of success more readily; however, many small businesses fail to recognize this also translates to an expectation of timely customer service. Whether it’s realistic or not, your clients likely expect you to address each of their concerns visibly and swiftly.

Depending on your field, fast results may not be possible. In this case, education and culture building can be used to recalibrate the beliefs your market adopts as valuable. You can use some of the benefits of short-term orientation to do this very thing.

People who have been raised in places like America tend to appreciate anything that helps them make good decisions in a timely manner. Ratings, data, infographics, and evidence based arguments ease our minds. Truthful information in easy-to-digest formats can be your best friend. Short-term audiences also love a good trend. Don’t be afraid to participate in them, or even set some. Understand you can use these tools as culture builders, not just as a mechanism for appealing to your customers. Move people towards a bigger perspective by starting with what feels a little more familiar and usable in their minds.

Help your Audience Make Decisions: Reframing Scarcity in Marketing with Positive Urgency

You’ve seen scarcity used on every platform. We all have. Hell, we have even used it! “One day sale” and “Only 3 available” or even the idea of an early bird window all pull on this marketing tactic. Based on our previous chats, you may guess this is useful because it targets the primal brain. In ethical marketing, though, the goal is not to manipulate the audience, but to serve them as best you can. When it comes to using scarcity, then, we need to orient ourselves around positive urgency rather than fear tactics.

It should go without saying, but deadlines and numbers should be honest and practical. What are the deadlines you actually need for the backend work? How many products are actually available? We also need to recognize that humans were designed to be seasonal creatures, rather than having nearly everything available all at once.

Our world now has so many options, 24/7. It can actually be helpful, then, for businesses to create some windows of services and remove some of the decision-fatigue of daily life. In turn, this also creates demand for your customers when those windows are open. If it’s a seasonal event or product, for instance, they begin to look forward to it; and, if you do it with intention, it helps to create rhythm in their lives and in your community. Take a look at your business and look for areas where you can benefit your client with rhythms and positive urgency.

Feeding your Audience: Serve your Customers a Three Course Meal with Marketing

Let’s imagine you’ve been gifted a free meal with your favorite person. You have been given two options: a fine dining experience at a new fancy restaurant with several courses or, alternatively, two combos at your favorite fast food place. Play out both of those options in your mind. Which one makes you feel more fully nourished?

I’d bet that while you might have a great time eating with good people at Chipotle, the fine dining experience likely seems more appealing overall. Part of the reason this may be true is that the fine dining option stimulates several areas of our brains. It’s new, which sparks our attention. The person we are with is safe and the thought of being with them and experiencing something new together stirs up the emotional parts of our brains. And lastly, the idea of dining at a fancy restaurant brings with it the possibility for higher levels of learning. It makes us feel a little curious about what we may discover about food itself.

Attention, Emotion, and Cognitive Curiosity. These are the three aspects of the human brain that want to be fed well. As a small business, recognize that each component has its value and use good marketing to serve your customers up a three course meal they will appreciate and remember.

Keeping the Customer's Brain in Mind: Marketing to Real People

Have you ever craved a particular food when you are feeling bored, or upset? Maybe craved some chocolate when you really needed a cuddle? The part of your brain that loves those familiar comforts is also responsible for shaping your purchasing preferences. Our decisions about what products to buy are largely made for us by our base brain settings and the early experiences that shaped them. Sure it’s possible to reshape the things we find appealing, but that takes time and awareness. Instead, our brain often just finds creative ways of chasing the same things we have had before, even when we like the excitement of something new.

Understanding this tendency as a consumer is clearly valuable for our personal growth, and likely our wallet. As a marketer, though, this knowledge can mean the difference between product sales that bloom or ones that wither. Your customer is both looking forward to something new and, to some extent, wanting what they already have, what they already know, and what they have already seen. Give them both. Make your new-to-them product feel familiar. All that takes is knowing your market…simple, right?