Retailers Worldwide To Transition To “2D Barcodes”

Axios reports:

In a worldwide push called “Sunrise 2027,” the retail industry is transitioning from the standard 12-digit barcode — that square of vertical lines that’s printed on a package and makes it go “beep” at the checkout scanner — to a two-dimensional web-enabled version. The effort is being orchestrated by GS1 US, the nonprofit standards organization that oversees the barcode world.

In the US, UPC barcodes will be supplanted by a new 2D type, with information encoded on both the horizontal and vertical axes. By 2027, only the 2D barcodes will be accepted at registers globally. Consumers will gain online access to a trove of useful data — everything from ingredients, recipes and potential allergens to promotional offers and information about how to recycle the product.

Read the full article. The 2D barcodes will reportedly also help retailers better manage sell-by dates, recalls, and restocking.

In a worldwide push called “Sunrise 2027,” the retail industry is transitioning from the standard 12-digit barcode to a two-dimensional web-enabled version.

By 2027, only the 2D barcodes will be accepted at registers globally.https://t.co/5G1J29M9QS

— Axios (@axios) April 17, 2023