Retail takes lead in beta testing of GS1 2D codes, with other stakeholders lagging

Markem-Imaje underlines the prime role that supermarkets are playing in driving trials of GS1 Digital Link codes – more than consumer interest, which was expected to take the lead.

These next-generation codes create a URL link connecting identifiers such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), batch number, best-before date and serial number, and enable real-time access to data relevant both to businesses and to consumers, says the coding and packaging intelligence company.

The GS1 Sunrise 2027 initiative aims to stress-test retail supply chains when it comes to the efficient handling of both legacy barcodes and the new Digital Link codes, says Northwest Europe Zone director Martin Bailey.

“This means ensuring that all the checks have been carried out on our ability to work with both symbologies,” he tells Machinery Update. “This is a future-proofing process that’s about far more than the next 12 months. It’s about moving from a small amount of data to a potentially huge amount.”

One of the leading UK retailers is carrying out end-to-end testing of the new codes, explains solutions account manager Jeremy Barson, examining everything from different coding substrates to the amount of data it makes sense to include.

“Retail use cases are taking the initial lead in the beta trials,” he says. “At the same time, consumer experience applications are very much on the verge. But at the moment it’s more retailer-driven than consumer-driven.”

According to Barson, the retailers are discovering more potential use cases for the 2D codes as trials progress. So, for example, the marking down of prices closer to best-before dates can be automated for point-of-sale (POS), potentially helping to reduce food waste.

“The challenge for brands and manufacturers is that anything that slows their lines down is not in their interest,” he says. Despite the practical lead taken by retailers, the co-ordinating role taken by GS1 ensures that all stakeholders – including brands – will see benefits, says Markem-Imaje. “The same barcode will provide access to the brand-owner’s website,” Barson explains. “And one brand, for example, will want to cross-sell against another.”

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