New GS1 Digital Link standard connecting brands and consumers online
Like a URL, it will enable web connections to all types of B2B and B2C information
For immediate release Monday September 2018 – GS1, the global supply chain standards organisation, recently announced a new global Web standard to help industry optimise the online shopping experience for the consumer.
In an age where the shopping experience can happen anytime, anywhere – and product data and transparency are in demand – this new GS1 standard will empower consumers and businesses alike to move seamlessly through the world of physical and digital commerce, bringing mobile phone scanning into the 21stcentury.
Sue Schmid, Head of Customer Relations and Standards Office at GS1 Australia said, “The GS1 Digital Link is a new generation GS1 global standard that is the foundational bridge between physical products and their digital twins.”
Developed by a group of retailers, brand owners, solution providers and technology experts, together with GS1, the GS1 Digital Link standard will complement the traditional, ubiquitous GS1 barcode, which is expected to remain the universal standard for product identification for many years to come. It opens the door however, for a potential opportunity to migrate to a single web-enabled barcode in the future.
Resembling a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or web address, GS1 Digital Link can enable connections to all types of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) information.
Retailers and brands deploying GS1 Digital Link will benefit from the simplification of product packaging and the ability to connect with their customers like never before. By linking the physical world of commerce with its digital counterpart, customers will be able to be alerted on discounts and price matching while they are still inside the physical store.
“As businesses begin to develop solutions using the new GS1 Digital Link standard, consumers will be able to access a variety of brand authorised product information by simply scanning a web-enabled barcode. The product information available will be everything from dimensions and images to expiration dates, nutritional data, warranty registration, troubleshooting instructions, discount offers and even social media links,” added Ms Schmid.
Robert Beideman, Senior Vice President Solutions & Innovation, GS1 said: “The GS1 Digital Link standard will ensure that product data, information about inventory and digital assets for a particular product are linked to each other through a common identity that also links to the actual physical product, which is essential to serving the needs of consumers today.”
Pilot projects are now underway in several countries and some solution providers and brands are already cooperating to upgrade their platforms to support this new GS1 Digital Link standard. Other GS1 standards will also continue to improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels.
The GS1 Digital Link was developed through the Global Standards Management Process (GSMP), the community-based forum, facilitated by GS1, where businesses facing common problems work together and develop standards-based solutions.
For more information about the GS1 Digital Link, please contact our Customer Support team or call 1300 22 263.
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About GS1 Australia
GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains the most widely used global standards for efficient business communication. We are best known for the barcode, named by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy”. GS1 standards and services improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors. With local Member Organisations in 112 countries, 1.5 million user companies and 6 billion transactions every day, GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes across the globe. For more information visit the GS1 Australia Website or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebookand our YouTube channel.
Media Contact:
GS1 Australia
Stav Psonis
Communications Specialist
T: +61 3 9550 3409
E: Stav.Psonis@gs1au.org