Two or three codes, each with a job
A busy stall front has room for one or two codes that people actually notice. Choose from these, and label each one with what it does in a few words, such as “Shop online” or “Order on WhatsApp”:
- your online shop, for people who want to buy later;
- a WhatsApp chat, for orders, commissions and questions;
- a payment link, as a backup to your card reader;
- a page with your opening hours and the next markets you’ll be at.
Put more than three side by side and people scan the wrong one, or none.
Payment links and your card reader
At the stall, a card reader is quicker: the customer taps a card or phone and it’s done. A payment link in a QR code makes them open a page and pay on their own phone, which takes longer in a queue and depends on their signal.
A payment link still earns its place as a backup for when the reader’s battery dies or it can’t connect, and for deposits on made-to-order pieces. Most card-reader providers and online shop platforms can make one, either for a fixed amount or with a box where the customer types the amount. A fixed amount, such as the deposit for a commission, is the least confusing.
Payment codes attract fraud. Someone can stick their own code over yours, and your customers end up paying a stranger. Keep payment codes where you can see them, check them each morning as you set up, and print your business name next to the code so customers can check it matches the name on the payment page.
Your shop page, for people who walk on
Most visitors look, chat and move on, often meaning to come back. A code to your online shop catches them later, at home. Link to the collection they’ve just seen rather than your homepage, and put your last order dates for Christmas delivery on that page.
Think about January, too. A page called “christmas-2026” will be gone or out of date by next year, and so will every sign and card that points to it. Link to an address that lasts, such as example.com/shop, and change what it shows each season. The same code then works on next year’s stall.
A small card with the code in every bag often does more than a code on the price tag: people find it later, when they’re thinking of buying another.
A WhatsApp code for orders
WhatsApp’s click-to-chat link opens a chat with your number, with a message already typed if you want one:
https://wa.me/12025550143?text=Hi%2C%20I%20saw%20your%20stall%20at%20the%20marketThe number goes in full international form, digits only: the country code, then the number without its leading 0, and no plus sign, spaces or brackets. The message is optional. It tells you where the customer found you, but it makes the code denser: the number alone gives a 25 × 25 grid, and with that 34-character message it grows to 45 × 45, because each space and comma takes three characters once it’s encoded. Keep the message short.
Decide which phone the chats should reach before you print. A code with your personal number puts that number on every sign. A separate business number on the free WhatsApp Business app keeps orders apart from family chats and lets you set an away message for when you’re busy serving. Test the code on a phone that doesn’t have your number saved, because that’s what customers will see.
Opening hours and where you’ll be next
A simple page with your market days and hours, the other fairs you’ll be at and how to collect orders is worth a code on your bags and cards. Keep the dates on the page, not in the code: a text code with this season’s dates is out of date the moment one changes, while a page takes a minute to update.
Cold, damp and fairy lights
- Glare. String lights and spotlights reflect off gloss paper and laminate straight into the camera. Use matte laminate or a matte rigid board, and angle the sign slightly downwards.
- Damp. Inkjet prints can run in rain or condensation. Laminate them or use laser or professionally printed signs, and wipe the sign on frosty mornings.
- Dark evenings. Evening markets are lit by festoon bulbs aimed at the goods. Make sure some of that light falls on the code too.
- Where people stand. Put the code at chest height on the front of the stall, not behind the display or flat on the table, where stock ends up covering it.
- Gloves. People take a glove off to scan, so give them a reason on the sign. A few words beat a bare code.
How big to print each code
| Where | Read from | Code width |
|---|---|---|
| Banner or sign on the stall front | 1.5–2 m | 15–20 cm |
| Counter sign | 0.5–1 m | 5–10 cm |
| Card in the bag, gift tag | 20–30 cm | 2–3 cm |
That’s the width of the code itself, about a tenth of the distance it’s read from. Add a light margin four modules wide on every side, and don’t set the code on a busy festive pattern. Festive colours are less of a problem than you might expect: a deep red code (#C8102E) on white has a contrast of 5.9:1 and a dark green (#1E5631) 8.6:1, both fine. Gold (about 2:1) and silver (1.8:1) on white won’t scan reliably.
Make it in QR Island
In the QR Island studio, choose WhatsApp and type your number with its country code and, if you like, a short message. The studio writes the wa.me link for you and asks for the full international number if you leave off the country code. For your shop, payment or opening-hours page, choose Link and paste the address. The Winter Snow Garden world sets the code in a snowy garden with a sleigh and a snowman.
Get QR code shows the flat code on a card, and from there you can download it as PNG or SVG for free, or open the print sheet to check sizes. The island sign pack (+US$4.99, added to an Island pack) has a “Scan me” template with a poster, flyers, a table tent, cards, stickers and screen pictures, in all four sign styles. Free codes never expire, so if the links still work, next year’s stall can use the same signs.
