SalevaWhat this tool does
A QR code is a shortcut for a customer's phone. Instead of saving your number or typing a web address, they point the camera at a square on your counter and the right thing opens. This tool makes three kinds: one that opens a WhatsApp chat with your shop, one that opens a web page such as your online shop, and one that shows plain text. The code is made on your device and never expires, because it contains the link itself and does not pass through anyone's server.
How to use it
- Choose what the code should open.
- Fill in the number, web address or text. The code is drawn as you type.
- Add a line to print under it, so that people know what it is for.
- Scan it with your own phone to check it, then download or print it.
Where a shop can use one
| Where | What it opens | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| On the counter | A WhatsApp chat with the shop | Customers save your number without asking for it. |
| On the shop front or shutter | WhatsApp, with "I want to order" already typed | People can order when you are closed and you reply in the morning. |
| On the receipt or carry bag | Your online shop page | The next order can come from home. |
| On a delivery rider's bag | Your online shop page | Neighbours who see the rider can find you. |
| On a shelf label | Plain text or a page about the product | Sizes, care instructions or warranty terms without a long label. |
Getting the WhatsApp number right
A WhatsApp link needs the full international number: the country code, then the number without its leading zero, with no plus sign, spaces or dashes. The tool removes spaces, dashes and a plus sign for you, but it cannot guess the country code.
0300 1234567 in Pakistan → 923001234567
If you add a message, it appears in the customer's typing box when the chat opens. They still have to press send, and they can change it first. Keep it short: "Salam, I want to order" works better than a paragraph. There is more on running orders this way in the related reading below.
Printing a code that scans
- Print it large enough. About 3 cm across is the least for a code scanned from a counter. For a shop front read from a few steps away, make it 10 cm or more.
- Keep the white border. The blank margin around the code is part of it. Do not crop it or run a frame against it.
- Print dark on light. Black on white is best. Light codes on dark backgrounds, and pale colours, often fail.
- Keep it flat and clean. A code under a scratched plastic sheet, or folded across a corner, scans badly.
- Say what it does. A square with no words gets ignored. "Scan to order on WhatsApp" tells people why to bother.
- Test before you print fifty. Scan the printed code, not the screen, with two different phones.
What it cannot do
This tool makes codes for up to about 200 characters, which covers a link or a short message. It does not make payment codes: bank and wallet payment QR codes follow each provider's own format and must come from your bank or wallet app. And because the link is inside the code, you cannot change where a printed code leads. If your number changes, make a new code.
Questions
Does the QR code expire?
No. The code holds your link or text directly. It keeps working for as long as the number or the web page does.
Is my number sent to you?
No. The code is drawn in your browser. Nothing you type on this page is uploaded or stored.
Can I put my logo in the middle?
Not with this tool. A logo covers part of the code and makes it harder to scan. A clear caption underneath does the same job more reliably.
Why does the code get denser when I type more?
More characters need more squares. A denser code must be printed larger to scan well, which is another reason to keep the message short.
Related reading
- Taking shop orders on WhatsApp without the chaos
- Barcode scanning for a small shop: what to scan, what to skip
- Your online shop page, customer orders and ad credits
- Barcode label maker, for product labels a scanner at the till can read
Every shop on Saleva gets its own online shop page with a QR code to share. Get the free Android app.