Returning Visitor Detection: Personalize QR Experiences for Repeat Scanners
Detect returning QR code scanners using cookies and fingerprinting. Serve different content to first-time vs. repeat visitors.
A first-time scanner and a 10th-time scanner are very different customers. Returning visitor detection lets you serve different content based on how many times someone has scanned your QR code.
How It Works
ScanStack generates a visitor fingerprint using a persistent cookie and an IP+user-agent hash. Each scan from the same visitor increments their scan count for that specific QR code.
Scan Count Routing
// First-time visitors
{ "conditions": [{ "type": "scan_count", "min": 1, "max": 1 }],
"target_url": "https://example.com/welcome", "priority": 10 }
// 2-4 scans
{ "conditions": [{ "type": "scan_count", "min": 2, "max": 4 }],
"target_url": "https://example.com/catalog", "priority": 8 }
// 5+ scans - loyalty
{ "conditions": [{ "type": "scan_count", "min": 5 }],
"target_url": "https://example.com/loyalty", "priority": 6 }Use Cases
Progressive Disclosure: First scan: overview. Second: features. Third: pricing. Guide prospects through your funnel.
Loyalty Programs: 5th scan unlocks 10% discount. 10th scan unlocks free shipping. No app required.
Engagement Tracking: Combine with scan automations to fire a webhook when a visitor hits their 3rd scan, tagging them in your CRM.
Privacy Considerations
The visitor hash is a one-way SHA-256 hash. No PII is stored. The cookie is first-party, httpOnly, and scoped to the redirect domain. Users who clear cookies appear as new visitors.
Combine visitor detection with time-based routing for "returning customer during lunch" or with geo-fencing for location-aware loyalty.