Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

GS1 US guidelines support transition from 1D to 2D barcodes

Goal is to implement 2D barcodes at point-of-sale stations by 2027

GS1 Screen Shot 2024-02-07 at 1.38.18 PM.png
Supply Chain Xchange Staff
By Supply Chain Xchange StaffFeb 07, 2024
Supply Chain Xchange Staff
See Full Bio

Barcode standards organization GS1 US today said it has unveiled two new guidelines to help industry users transition to more-advanced two-dimensional (2D) barcodes on product packaging in the U.S. healthcare, apparel, and general merchandise sectors.

According to the New Jersey-based group, 2D barcodes such as QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix will enhance supply chain visibility, efficiency, and patient and consumer safety. Produced by a working group of retailers, brands, and solution providers in the apparel and general merchandise industries, the guideline provides practical advice for implementing 2D barcodes by 2027, a timeline set by the retail industry in collaboration with GS1 US to scan 2D barcodes at point-of-sale (POS).

More specifically, the first guideline—titled “Unlocking the Benefits of 2D Barcodes in Apparel and General Merchandise: Getting Brands and Retailers Ready for Sunrise 2027”—explains how 2D barcodes can be used to provide improved product information, traceability, authentication, and streamlined checkout and returns.

And the second guideline—titled “Unlocking Benefits of GS1 DataMatrix in Non-Retail Healthcare”—is designed to assist non-retail healthcare stakeholders in implementing GS1 DataMatrix 2D barcodes in channels such as hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, infusion centers, long-term care facilities, and ambulances.

“As technology and consumer expectations for more information about products evolve, the demand for enhanced product information goes beyond the traditional role of UPC barcodes,” Melanie Nuce-Hilton, senior vice president, community engagement, GS1 US, said in a release. “While some apparel and general merchandise brands already utilize 2D barcodes with GS1 Digital Link for consumer engagement, there is a pressing need to extend this capability to POS to allow for a single standardized way to meet supply chain needs and consumer requirements.”

“As healthcare products are sold in both retail and non-retail environments, a coordinated approach to 2D barcodes ensures labeling consistency and efficiency for brand owners. GS1 DataMatrix is already being adopted across healthcare to comply with regulation; to avoid confusion and align on a single barcode, GS1 DataMatrix is recommended by industry as a preferred data carrier for healthcare products across both areas," Nuce-Hilton said.
 
  

 

ArticleTech & InfrastructureTechnology
gs 1 us
ArticleTech & InfrastructureTechnology
gs 1 us

Recent

german courthouse
Move

Deutsche Bahn claims victory in “air freight cartel” settlement

boxes on a conveyor
Store

Amazon adds Adidas as its latest e-commerce 3PL customer

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year
Featured

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Industry Press Room

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Group Announces UniCarriers® Forklifts’ Premier Club Winners for 2024

More Stories

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations have the competitive characteristics they’ll need for future readiness, according to a Gartner survey released Tuesday. The survey focused on how organizations are preparing for future challenges and to keep their supply chains competitive.

Gartner surveyed 579 supply chain practitioners to determine the capabilities needed to manage the “future drivers of influence” on supply chains, which include artificial intelligence (AI) achievement and the ability to navigate new trade policies. According to the survey, the five competitive characteristics are: agility, resilience, regionalization, integrated ecosystems, and integrated enterprise strategy.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Companies double down on resilience as trade complexities rise
Featured

Companies double down on resilience as trade complexities rise

US customs agent inspecting agricultural goods
Finance & Strategy

Industry groups: Reciprocal tariffs show “incomplete thinking”

photo collage of containers and ports
Plan

DHL Supply Chain expands offerings in returns, multi-shoring

chart of GenAI impact on workforces
Technology

Gartner: GenAI tools create anxiety among employees

woman making purchase with smartphone
Plan

C.H. Robinson says shippers are stressed about tariffs and trade changes

shopper uses smartphone in retail store
Plan

EY lists five ways to fortify omnichannel retail

screen shot of returns apps on different devices

Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud

With returns now a routine part of the shopping journey, technology provider Optoro says a recent survey has identified four trends influencing shopper preferences and retailer priorities.

First, 54% of retailers are looking for ways to increase their financial recovery from returns. That’s because the cost to return a purchase averages 27% of the purchase price, which erases as much as 50% of the sales margin. But consumers have their own interests in mind: 76% of shoppers admit they’ve embellished or exaggerated the return reason to avoid a fee, a 39% increase from 2023 to 204.

Keep ReadingShow less
robots carry goods through a warehouse

Fortna: rethink your distribution strategy for 2025

Facing an evolving supply chain landscape in 2025, companies are being forced to rethink their distribution strategies to cope with challenges like rising cost pressures, persistent labor shortages, and the complexities of managing SKU proliferation.

But according to the systems integrator Fortna, businesses can remain competitive if they focus on five core areas:

Keep ReadingShow less
artistic image of a building roof

BCG: tariffs would accelerate change in global trade flows

Geopolitical rivalries, alliances, and aspirations are rewiring the global economy—and the imposition of new tariffs on foreign imports by the U.S. will accelerate that process, according to an analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Without a broad increase in tariffs, world trade in goods will keep growing at an average of 2.9% annually for the next eight years, the firm forecasts in its report, “Great Powers, Geopolitics, and the Future of Trade.” But the routes goods travel will change markedly as North America reduces its dependence on China and China builds up its links with the Global South, which is cementing its power in the global trade map.

Keep ReadingShow less
woman shopper with data

RILA shares four-point policy agenda for 2025

As 2025 continues to bring its share of market turmoil and business challenges, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has stayed clear on its four-point policy agenda for the coming year.

That strategy is described by RILA President Brian Dodge in a document titled “2025 Retail Public Policy Agenda,” which begins by describing leading retailers as “dynamic and multifaceted businesses that begin on Main Street and stretch across the world to bring high value and affordable consumer goods to American families.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.