GS1 India: A Standards Organisation

When a consumer walks into a retail outlet or search online to purchase a product, s(he) ignores the most important aspect of the product — its barcode number, which is printed on product labels. These labels also comprise of some details pertaining to the product — like manufacturing date, expiry date (if it’s a consumable), batch number along with the retail product price. Barcode numbers starting with prefix ‘890’ consists of a GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) which is a global standard widely used in the retail sector. The barcode number is linked to an external tool which holds additional information about the product that the label presents. Simply put, these barcodes link back all the information about the product all through the chain — when it was manufactured, the batch it was manufactured in, the date, the time, its packaging details, etc. In India, the platform which acts as a national repository to accurate & authentic product information is called DataKart

GS1 is a global standards organisation that develops and maintains standards to improve efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across the globe. GS1 standards enable businesses to uniquely identify, accurately capture and seamlessly share information on products, logistics units, locations, entities, documents and services across supply and demand chains. Most commonly, these standards are used in  assigning barcode numbers  to consumer items. They also enable several applications, such as product authentication, POS checkout, online selling, stock availability, track & trace, product recall, real-time stocks monitoring, and more. GS1 standards are open, neutral and technology agnostic, enabling companies of all sizes and complexities to use — send and receive data in the supply chain, and hence, gain visibility and exchange information. By the use of global  GS1 standards  across the supply chain, organisations can significantly cut down on administrative costs and p

Today, the collection of reliable, up-to-date information on retail products is a challenge for retailers, online shopping websites and app providers. This is especially because there is no standard format/no fixed product attributes that are required by each retail sector player. This is despite the fact that this accurate and trusted product information is vital to managing daily retail operations like merchandise ordering, supplies receipts, planogramming, FIFO management, stock monitoring, new product introductions, promotions, etc. Need for detailed, updated information The information required to manage day-to-day retail operations includes detailed product attribute information, such as its net weight, gross weight, dimensions, price, action and deactivation dates, description, etc., along with product images. For small brand owners, a more streamlined approach to collecting and mentioning product information can help them list their products faster with multiple retailers/