QR codes and NFC cards solve the same job — move someone from the physical world to a URL — at different distances. Treating them as rivals wastes both.
QR works across a room, on packaging, and on a screen. NFC works in a handshake. Use both on the same campaign when you can.
When QR is the right default
Print a QR on posters, menus, product sleeves, and slides. People already know how to open the camera. Keep the code large, with a quiet margin, and a short promise under it: “Open the menu”, “Get the deck”, “Save my contact”.
Generate the code in 8om for free. Point it at a short link so you can change the destination without reprinting.
When NFC is worth the tap
Give NFC cards to people who meet customers. A tap feels faster than opening a camera at a table. It also feels more personal than a poster.
Do not hide the QR on the same card. Someone with an older phone, or gloves, should still have a path.
One destination, two doors
Both doors should land on the same live profile or campaign page. If QR goes to Instagram and NFC goes to a PDF, you will never know which story worked.
Review taps and scans together. If one channel is unused, change placement before you change the creative.