VIDLO RESEARCH
Campaign data: October 2025 to June 2026
The Capture Rate Report 2027
What 220 campaigns and 9,395 customer videos reveal about what gets people to actually record.
The Freshness Factor
Most brands focus on what to ask customers.
Our data suggests another question matters, too: when and where are you asking them?
We analyzed 220 Vidlo campaigns, 23,240 visits to recording pages, and 9,395 completed customer videos.
One pattern stood out.
The closer the ask was to the customer experience, the more likely people were to record.
THE BIG FINDING
QR codes drove a 52% higher video capture rate than links.
Video capture rate is the percentage of people who complete a recording out of everyone who reaches the recording page.
Across 220 live campaigns, customers who arrived through a QR code completed a video at 48.0%. Customers who arrived through a traditional link completed at 31.6%.
This wasn't a comparison of what customers said they would do. It's what they actually did.
Measured
not surveyed
Recorded
not promised
Completion
not reach
Same reach. Different completion.
It wasn’t a reach difference
Both groups got nearly identical traffic. Only completion changed.
The obvious objection to any QR finding is that QR codes simply reach more people. In this dataset they didn’t. QR campaigns averaged 105.8 recording-page arrivals. Link campaigns averaged 105.5. What changed was how many of those people finished.
QR code campaigns
105.8 arrivals per campaign
48.0%
105.8 arrivals per campaign
Link campaigns
31.6%
Link campaigns
105.5 arrivals per campaign
*Each bar represents one campaign's average recording-page arrivals. The filled portion completed a video.
Why? The data points to something bigger than QR codes themselves.
It's about the moment of the ask.
QR codes tend to show up while the experience is happening: on a restaurant table, at an event, inside a venue, on signage, or next to a product.
A QR code can ask them to describe the one moment they're already in.
Links are more likely to reach someone later through email, text, social media, or another follow-up. And time changes the ask.
A link asks someone to return to a feeling.
FINDING 01
The sample
118
QR-led campaigns
Averaging 105.8 recording-page arrivals each.
102
Link-led campaigns
Averaging 105.5 recording-page arrivals each.
Of the 220 campaigns analyzed, 118 were distributed primarily by QR code and 102 by direct link.
Channel alone doesn't tell the whole story, though. When we looked at where customers encountered the request, a more interesting pattern emerged.
FINDING 02
Channel matters. Placement may matter even more.
Not every QR code performed the same. Not every link performed the same. Placement changed the outcome, and the size of that change was larger than the gap between the two channels.
capture rate by placement
QR-led
Link-led
Table
tent
tent
55.0%
55.0%
Table
tent
52.0%
Event
signage
52.0%
Event
signage
47.0%
Poster
47.0%
Poster
46.0%
In-room
46.0%
In-room
37.7%
Other QR
37.7%
Other QR
35.0%
SMS
35.0%
SMS
33.0%
Email
33.0%
Email
30.0%
Website
30.0%
Website
26.8%
Social
26.8%
Social
*Capture rate = completed video submissions divided by recording-page arrivals.
The worst-performing QR placement, at 37.7%, still outperformed the best-performing link placement, at 35.0%.
Same
customer
Same
question
Very different moment
Across all nine placements, capture rates ranged from 55.0% down to 26.8%, a spread of 28.2 percentage points. Even among QR placements alone, where the channel is held constant, capture rates varied by 17.3 points. That is wider than the 16.4 point gap between QR and links.
FINDING 03
The closer the ask, the higher the capture rate
This is the pattern we found most interesting, because it showed up twice. Once inside the QR placements, and again inside the link placements, where QR codes were never involved at all.
Within QR
The top placements sit physically inside an experience. A table tent, at 55.0%, reaches someone still sitting at the table. Event signage, at 52.0%, reaches someone still at the event. Posters and in-room placements sit slightly further from any one moment, at 47.0% and 46.0%. The catch-all category, where codes are furthest from a defined moment, is lowest at 37.7%.
Within links
The same pattern appears at a smaller scale. SMS, the most immediate channel, performs best at 35.0%. Email follows at 33.0%, then website at 30.0%. Social, the furthest from a specific customer experience, is lowest at 26.8%.
Nine placements. Two channels. One pattern: the closer the request sat to the experience, the higher the capture rate.
That matters because it makes the finding usable by brands who cannot put a code in someone’s hand. The instruction is the same either way. Reduce the distance between the experience and the ask.
FINDING 04
Capture the moment, not the memory
Customer video shouldn't only be treated as a follow-up marketing activity. The ask can be part of the customer experience itself.
Think about a restaurant
A customer has just finished their meal. They’re still sitting at the table, talking about what they ordered and how the experience felt. That’s one moment.
Now imagine emailing that same customer three days later: “Tell us about your experience.”
The experience hasn't changed. Their distance from it has.
The campaigns in this dataset suggest that reducing that distance can have a meaningful impact on whether someone records. We call this the Moment of Capture: the point where the customer’s experience, emotion, and opportunity to respond are closest together.
The goal isn’t to put a QR code everywhere.
The goal is to identify that moment and make recording as easy as possible when it happens.
THE CAPTURE PLAYBOOK
Four things to do with this
Put the ask inside the experience
Don't default to the follow-up email. Look for places where the customer is already experiencing the thing you want them to talk about: a restaurant table, an event, a hotel room, a product display, a checkout experience, a campus activation. The closer the ask is to the experience, the less the customer has to reconstruct later.
Remove as many steps as possible
Scan. Tap. Record. Submit. Every additional step creates another opportunity to lose the customer. If QR isn't practical, use the fastest channel available. In this dataset that was SMS, which outperformed email, website and social. The principle stays the same: make it easy to respond while the experience is still fresh.
Treat placement as part of the campaign
Don't only ask what question to use. Also ask: where will the customer see it, what will they be doing when they see it, how much time will have passed, and can they record immediately? The distribution strategy is part of the capture strategy.
Find your Moment of Capture
The best placement won't be identical for every business. For a restaurant it may be the table. For an event, signage near the exit. For a hotel, an in-room code. For an ecommerce brand, a post-delivery SMS. Start with the moment closest to the experience, measure the capture rate, and test from there.
What this data doesn't say
This analysis is based on real customer behavior across live Vidlo campaigns. It was not a randomized controlled experiment. Campaigns were not randomly assigned to QR codes or links, so part of the difference may reflect the type of business, audience, or setting that chose each channel. The results show a strong pattern, not proof of cause and effect.
Methodology
Vidlo analyzed 220 campaigns, 23,240 recording-page arrivals, and 9,395 completed customer videos from October 2025 to June 2026, across industries including events, restaurants, retail, and consumer goods. Capture rate was calculated as total submitted videos divided by total recording-page visits within each group, then compared by collection method (QR code vs. link) and placement. Internal tests and demo accounts were excluded. All data is anonymized and aggregated.
Chynna Morgan (2026). The Capture Rate Report 2027. Vidlo. vidlo.video/research/capture-rate-report
GOOD TO KNOW
Frequently asked questions
What is video capture rate?
Video capture rate is the percentage of people who submit a video after opening a video request. We calculate it as completed videos ÷ recording-page visits (from a QR code or link) × 100. It shows how well a request turns visits into actual customer videos, not just clicks.
Do QR codes get more video responses than links?
Yes. In our data, QR code campaigns had a 48.0% capture rate, compared to 31.6% for link-based campaigns. That's a 52% higher capture rate. QR codes reach people while they're still in the experience, making them more likely to share.
Why do QR codes outperform links for video collection?
Timing and context. A QR code at a table, event, or on product packaging gives people a chance to share their experience while it's still fresh. Links often arrive later through email or text, when people have moved on or become distracted.
Which QR code placement gets the most video responses?
In our data, table tents had the highest capture rate at 55.0%, followed by event signage at 52.0% and posters at 47.0%. In-room placements reached 46.0%, while general QR placements had a 37.7% capture rate. QR codes perform best when they're placed where people naturally pause and have a moment to respond.
Does this mean links don't work for collecting customer videos?
Not at all. Links work well for online purchases, remote customers, and follow-ups. In our data, SMS had the highest link-based capture rate at 35.0%, followed by email at 33.0%, websites at 30.0%, and social media at 26.8%. The best approach is to use QR codes for in-person experiences and links to reach customers wherever they are.
How was the Capture Rate Report calculated?
We analyzed 220 Vidlo campaigns from October 2025 to June 2026, covering 23,240 recording-page visits and 9,395 submitted videos across industries including events, restaurants, retail, and consumer goods. Capture rates were calculated as total submitted videos ÷ total recording-page visits within each group, then compared by collection method (QR code vs. link) and placement. Internal tests and demo accounts were excluded. All data is anonymized and aggregated.
Get the Capture Rate Report 2027
Every finding on this page is free to read and free to cite. If you want the formatted report to share internally, we'll email you a copy.
THE TAKEAWAY
Don't wait for customers to remember how they felt.
Ask while they're still feeling it.
The data suggests that getting more customer videos isn't only about writing a better prompt, offering a bigger incentive, or sending another follow-up. Sometimes the biggest opportunity is much simpler: move the ask closer to the moment.
That's where customer experience becomes customer voice.
Capture the moment with Vidlo.
Vidlo helps brands capture customer videos in the moments that matter. Brands create a branded recording experience, share it through a QR code or link, and customers can record directly from their phones without downloading an app.
Videos, customer information, consent, and campaign data flow into one dashboard, giving teams a simpler way to capture and use real customer voices across marketing, research, events, and customer experience.
See what your capture rate looks like.
