After 50 years of good and loyal service, the venerable barcode is about to take its benchmark. The GS1 QR code, a modern 2D version containing much more information, will take over by 2027. A real revolution!
The barcode – also called barcode or EAN-3, from its official “technical” name – has been a real revolution for manufacturers; traders and consumers. Appearing almost fifty years ago – it was scanned for the first time at the checkout on June 26, 1974 – this famous graphic pattern of alternating black and white bands makes it possible to identify a product, to follow it and to facilitate the passage in checkout. It has gradually melted into our daily landscape, to the point that we don’t even pay attention to it anymore. But at a time when consumers are more and more demanding about what they consume, this linear digital code reveals its limits. GS1 France, the French branch of the barcode standardization organization, now deems the on-board data insufficient. It should thus soon be replaced by a more modern and more information-rich successor: the so-called “augmented” QR code, already widely used by certain companies (see our article). This code, popularized with the general public with the pandemic and the world of catering, should integrate more information on the product and allow each actor in the chain to optimize its monitoring. GS1 France is already preparing for the transition, as it indicates on his site.
GS1 augmented QR code: information accessible to all
Even if it is drawn in two dimensions (2D), with its alternating black and white lines, the barcode has only one dimension: it is a simple numeric code – a sequence of numbers – composed only of 13 digits of the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). It does not contain any other information. It is the merchants and manufacturers who associate it with a product, a price and other information in their databases.
Composed of a myriad of dots forming a real 2D graphic pattern, the QR code can contain much more information than the traditional barcode:– more than 4000 alphanumeric characters compared to a few digits for the barcode… We can thus encapsulate a large amount of data: product reference, price, name, manufacturer, origin, composition, carbon footprint, etc. As GS1 France explains, the information delivered may vary depending on the user, the reader used and the context. Thus, each actor in the chain, according to his needs, can obtain the necessary information.
The GS1 augmented QR code will offer many advantages. Thanks to it, distributors will be able to respond more quickly to product recall procedures, by identifying and removing defective items or items presenting a health risk from the shelves, while merchants will have better inventory tracking. On the other hand, from production to checkout, all players will have to adapt their equipment and procedures, starting with merchants who will have to quickly equip themselves with compatible readers. Note that some brands and companies have already adopted this technology, such as Decathlon and L’Oréal.
The standards organization already has a timeline for this transition, which is expected to take place around 2027. “With the end of 2027 in sight, distribution players around the world, supported by GS1 and all the ecosystems concerned, have launched an ambitious migration program to adapt their checkout systems to the reading of GS1 augmented QR codes. in addition to the classic barcode,” explains the GS1. There should therefore be a period of cohabitation between the two systems so that consumers can get used to this new method of identification. The augmented QR codes will also allow them to obtain the information contained in them easily since they can be read with a smartphone. The organization hopes by this means “increase the engagement of their consumers”.