Nudge

A nudge guides behavior toward desirable outcomes without restricting choice, as proposed by Thaler and Sunstein. Applied to QR code marketing: loss aversion framing ("Don't miss 500 yen off" outperforms "Get 500 yen off"), social proof ("1,000 people scanned this month"), scarcity ("Today only"), and placement nudges (positioning at natural eye level in queues or table centers).

Placement optimization alone significantly changes scan rates - people respond to what enters their field of vision without conscious searching.