If you're using QR codes to drive traffic—whether from flyers, packaging, or event materials—it's important to know how many visits you're actually getting from them. In Databox, you can track visits from QR code scans that led users to specific URLs with UTM parameters.
This kind of tracking is easy to set up once GA4 is properly capturing UTM-tagged sessions, and Databox can then visualize the data by building a Custom Metric using Metric Builder.
Track QR Code Traffic with GA4 and Metric Builder
1. Add UTM parameters to QR code URLs
First, ensure the URLs behind your QR codes include UTM parameters, such as utm_source=qr_code_campaign. These will help GA4 identify and categorize the traffic.
If this isn’t already set up, update your destination links before moving forward.
2. Wait for GA4 to collect data
Once the QR codes are in use and traffic starts coming in, GA4 will begin collecting session data tagged with the appropriate UTM source. You’ll need at least a few visits before you can build a report in Databox.
3. Create a Custom Metric in Databox
In Databox, go to Metric Builder and select your GA4 Data Source. Now you can start building the Custom Metric:
Metric: Sessions
Filter: Page location → Contains → substring from your UTM-tagged URL (e.g.,
utm_source=qr_code_campaign)
This will return only the sessions that came from URLs containing the QR code’s UTM source, giving you a clear view of traffic driven by your QR efforts.
For more on building custom metrics from GA4 data, check out: How to create Custom Metrics using GA4 data.