Ramy Khuffash’s Visionary Approach to QR Tech

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, innovation is key, and few have grasped this as effectively as Ramy Khuffash, the visionary founder of Hovercode.

Under Khuffash’s leadership, Hovercode has redefined how businesses interact with their audience, offering dynamic, trackable, and editable QR codes. These aren’t just scannable squares; they’re gateways to deeper customer connections and insightful analytics tailored to the unique branding of each business. With over 450,000 trackable QR codes created and scanned more than 8 million times, Hovercode’s impact is undeniable.

So, join us as we uncover the story behind Hovercode through the eyes of its founder and gain a deeper understanding of how this innovative technology is shaping the future of digital marketing.

Inspiration Behind Hovercode’s Inception

SBS – What inspired the creation of Hovercode, and what gap in the market were you aiming to fill?

Ramy – After running a different business for around five years, I was getting a bit bored and restless, so I decided to build and launch a few small products.

I was exploring various spaces, one of which was QR codes. This was in 2021, so QR codes were all the rage. Anyone with an iPhone or Android phone can scan them without downloading an app and because of the pandemic, they were being used way more frequently (at least in the UK where I live).

I thought I might have missed the boat with the QR code trend, but after meeting with a friend who worked in marketing, I realised that wasn’t true. Most companies, even to this day, use QR codes in very basic ways. My hypothesis was that marketers tend to get more sophisticated with technology over time. For example, the way people use email marketing is way more advanced than it was even five years ago. If the same trend happens with QR codes, there is plenty of opportunity to get involved and innovate.

The QR code space was one of many I wanted to explore, so I built a simple QR code generator called Hovercode and launched it on Product Hunt. Around that time, I also launched two more products.

Once launched, I let them sit to see if there was any interest in them. I was mostly looking for traffic and usage. There was no pricing model or anything at the time. I just wanted to test the waters.

After a few months, Hovercode was being used significantly more than the other products, so I started to focus on it more from that point on.

I find QR codes fascinating, so I’m glad it worked out this way. Hovercode has come a long way since then, and every week, we are building solutions for our customers.

Enhancing Customer Engagement with Dynamic QR Codes

SBS – How do dynamic QR codes enhance customer engagement compared to traditional marketing methods?

Ramy – Before QR codes, it was hard to measure the effectiveness of offline marketing campaigns like leaflets, posters, etc. There were ways to track how many calls came from these campaigns or how many people typed in links based on them, but dynamic QR codes make the whole process smoother and easier.

It’s as simple as using unique dynamic QR codes on each of your offline campaigns and seeing which lead to more scans. You can go even further by using UTM parameters to track your QR code traffic in Google analytics and see which are leading to sales, donations, newsletter sign-ups, etc. This data helps marketers understand which of their campaigns are resonating with customers.

Outside of the offline marketing use case, QR codes are used for things like easily sharing PDFs, contact details, and more.

Success Stories from Hovercode Clients

SBS – Can you share a success story of a business that significantly benefited from using Hovercode’s services?

Ramy – We haven’t done any in-depth case studies yet, but we have heard from customers who are using Hovercode QR codes in magazines, product packaging, posters, billboards, etc.

Data Security and Privacy in QR Code Scans

SBS – How does Hovercode ensure the security and privacy of the data collected through QR code scans?

Ramy – We mostly rely on battle-tested frameworks and platforms to keep Hovercode secure. Part of this is ensuring we keep on top of security patches and updates.

We also collect a minimal amount of data. If it’s not needed or useful, we don’t collect it. For example, when people scan Hovercode dynamic QR codes, we don’t store any of their personal information.

We even collect a minimal amount of data when people sign up to Hovercode, and we tend to prefer privacy focussed services. For example, we use Plausible for our web analytics.

Key Metrics in QR Code Tracking and Analytics

SBS – What are the key metrics that Hovercode’s tracking and analytics feature provides to businesses?

Ramy – We collect:

• The device used
• The time of the scan
• The estimated location (city/country)

The location is estimated using the IP, which we truncate and then delete once we get the location estimate.

The device/location data can be interesting, but it’s really all about the number of scans a QR code gets. If you use a unique dynamic QR code with each of your offline campaigns, you can see which is performing better by comparing the number of scans each is getting. We let you tag and organise your QR codes, so you can also compare how groups of QR codes are performing. An example is the Easter sale campaign leading to more traffic than the Black Friday campaign.

Dynamic QR codes come with this type of analytics out of the box, but customers can get more sophisticated by tracking their QR codes in Google Analytics.

How Editable QR Codes Revolutionize Marketing

SBS – How does the editable QR code feature work, and what are its most common use cases?

Ramy – Dynamic QR codes are essentially a term that the industry has adopted to describe QR codes that use redirect links.

A standard QR code (static QR code) has the information directly encoded into the QR code pattern itself. When someone scans a static code that goes to a link, they are taken directly to that link.

Dynamic codes work by encoding a redirect link into the pattern of the QR code, so when someone scans them, they first go to the redirect link and then to the scan destination. This means that once the QR code is created and printed, the scan destination can be changed. The QR code will still always go to the redirect link, but where it redirects to can be changed.

One of the main reasons this is useful is because of changes in plans or mistakes. If a thousand leaflets are printed with static codes on them that go to an old website, it’s a very costly mistake.

I didn’t realise this at first, but another reason editing comes in handy is that in large companies, the team that designs the marketing materials are often not the same as the ones who orchestrate the rest of the campaign.

With dynamic QR codes, the designer can simply add a QR code to the design with a placeholder link. As the campaign progresses, the person managing the campaign can update the QR code to go to the correct site. They can then update the QR code to include things like UTM parameters. I have seen instances where a designer uses a static code as a placeholder, only for the campaign to go live with a placeholder that’s impossible to change.

Challenges in Developing Customizable QR Code Technology

SBS – What challenges did you face in developing technology for customizable and dynamic QR codes?

Ramy – Getting the first version of Hovercode live was straightforward, but as we have continued to grow, keeping the interface simple has been a challenge.

People mostly create simple QR codes with links, but as we have added features like PDF hosting, custom domains, templates, etc., we have had to be very careful not to overcomplicate the interface for the key use cases.

Another challenge has been keeping the spammers away. This is an issue with any software product. We use various tools to scan links people are using with their QR codes to ensure that any suspicious links are flagged and removed. It’s a constant battle, but it’s just part of the game.

Integrating Hovercode with Digital Marketing Tools

SBS – How do Hovercode’s QR codes integrate with other digital marketing tools and platforms?

Ramy – We are still fairly early in our journey, so we don’t integrate with a lot of platforms yet, although that’s something we’ll be working more on this year.

Currently, we have an integration with Canva, which has been well received. Our Canva app is called “Dynamic QR Codes,” and it lets you add dynamic QR codes to your Canva designs without having to change tabs.

We also created a UTM link builder that makes it easy to track your QR code scans in Google Analytics.

This year, we will be exploring integrations with Airtable, Zapier, and HubSpot. We also want to build a Chrome Extension, but we haven’t yet decided which integrations will be prioritised.

Incorporating Brand Identity into QR Codes

SBS – Can you explain the process and advantages of incorporating a brand’s logo and colors into QR codes?

Ramy – A plain black & white QR code can stand out a bit too much, especially when placed on something like a beautifully designed poster. Subtle changes to the colors and logo can make the QR code more familiar while still standing out enough so people know they are a call to action.

Adding brand colors and a logo to your QR code with Hovercode couldn’t be easier, and once you have created your perfect design, you can save it as a template to make it easier next time.

QR Code Marketing Strategy Advice for Businesses

SBS – What advice would you give to businesses looking to incorporate QR codes into their marketing strategy?

Ramy – If you are doing any sort of offline marketing, you’re missing out by not including QR codes on them. They make it super easy to track how your offline campaigns are performing and which you should invest more in. They also make it easier for prospects to take action.

If you don’t do any sort of online marketing, the rise in popularity of QR codes means that it’s now a good time to try.

Start simple, make sure your QR codes are dynamic, and pick a service that doesn’t let their QR codes expire.

The Future Evolution of QR Code Technology

SBS – How do you see the future of QR codes evolving, and what role will Hovercode play in this evolution?

Ramy – Marketing professionals will continue to come up with new and innovative ways to use QR codes, and we want to be there to make their visions a reality. The key for us is to listen to customers and pay attention to what the market wants.

We still have a long way to go with basic dynamic QR codes, as a lot of businesses still use static codes, so continuing to increase the use of dynamic codes is our focus for the near future.

Innovative Uses of QR Codes Across Industries

SBS – What are the most innovative uses of QR codes you’ve seen or foresee in various industries?

Ramy – We have seen companies use handwriting machines to create handwritten letters that look incredible. These get opened and read at a much higher rate than regular leaflets. Some companies we have worked with have started to include QR codes with these letters to make it easy for their potential customers to take action after reading the letters.

Another innovative use is “QR to email” or “QR to message.” When scanned, these QR codes populate an email or SMS message that’s ready to send. It’s a super low-friction and personal way to get someone to start a conversation with you.

Hovercode’s Future Expansion Plans and Features

SBS – Lastly, what are Hovercode’s future plans for expanding its services or features?

Ramy – We have some big ideas of what we want to build next, but we also want to continue to improve the core features around dynamic QR codes.

Letting marketers create short links with Hovercode is a natural extension as it means they can track link performance and QR code performance in one place.

Micro landing pages and the “post-scan” experience are other areas we will be exploring. Every scan has to lead somewhere, so we want to make it easy for marketing professionals to create landing pages for their QR codes.

We also mentioned that we will be looking at more integrations. Related to integrations, QR code API enables customers to integrate QR codes more deeply into their products and workflows. It’s becoming more popular, so we will invest time in adding more features and improving the documentation.