Introduction: Redefining retail transparency and traceability
Digital Link Connexum has made history by enabling the world’s first sales receipt using GS1 QR codes. This groundbreaking event took place during the “Fábrica de Negocio: Cadena de Suministro 2024” in Mexico City, making it the first GS1 QR code in Mexico. By incorporating advanced barcode technology, Digital Link Connexum, in collaboration with industry leaders, is transforming how businesses use QR codes to improve transparency, traceability, and consumer engagement.
First GS1 QR code used in Mexico’s retail
The live demonstration showcased the creation of the first-ever sales receipt generated using GS1 QR codes on product packaging in Mexico, marking a significant moment for the retail industry. By incorporating detailed alphanumeric data, including product details and barcode numbers, this achievement showed how the supply chain can evolve in real time. This live session also introduced the potential for two-dimensional barcodes to be used across different countries.
How QR codes are transforming supply chains
The introduction of GS1 QR codes offers brands a powerful tool for improving supply chain transparency. These advanced QR codes can include vital information, such as product origin, country code, and product identity, and support the requirements for Digital Product Passports (DPP). With these tools, businesses can enhance traceability in retail, allowing them to offer consumers complete transparency about the products they purchase.
How GS1 QR codes are transforming the retail landscape
Compared to traditional UPC barcodes, GS1 QR codes enable brands and manufacturers to take retail innovation to the next level. By embedding comprehensive data into each GS1 QR code, companies are improving traceability in retail and providing real-time insights about their products. This innovation in product packaging allows businesses to better interact with their consumers, making product tracking, compliance, and supply chain transparency more accessible.
Partners leading the way in QR code technology
This successful project would not have been possible without key industry partners:
- Domino Printing Sciences: Delivered high-precision printing solutions that encoded UPC barcode and GS1 QR code details onto the products, ensuring accurate identification.
- Datalogic: Provided cutting-edge devices capable of reading two-dimensional barcodes, such as GS1 QR codes, ensuring the codes could be accurately scanned at the point of sale.
- Cuvitek: Developed software that interpreted the QR codes, preventing errors by automatically recognizing expired items and offering dynamic updates, such as customer discounts for near-expiration products.
Enhancing traceability and transparency with QR codes
The successful use of GS1 QR codes in Mexico highlights their ability to improve traceability in retail. This achievement also emphasizes the role of Digital Product Passports (DPP), a rising trend in retail innovation. By incorporating DPP with GS1 QR codes, businesses can provide essential product details, meeting the growing demand for supply chain transparency across various industries.
Expanding GS1 QR codes to different industries and countries
The pilot program also showcased how GS1 QR codes can be applied across various industries. Renowned brands like Charro Brewing Company and Grupo AlEn are now using GS1 QR codes to improve their supply chain logistics and product identity processes. These brands are leveraging the flexibility of these codes to address the challenges posed by geographic regions with different product regulations and specifications, while remaining compliant with country code standards.
Product packaging innovation: Digital Product Passports and GS1 QR codes
The integration of GS1 QR codes allows companies to expand their use of Digital Product Passports. These codes support restricted circulation numbers, ensuring that products from different countries can be identified through specific barcode prefixes. With this new system, brands can use GS1 QR codes to provide customers with dynamic product details that can be tailored to location or geographic region, offering greater value and transparency.
Dynamic product data and customer interaction
One of the most exciting benefits of using GS1 QR codes is the ability for businesses to provide customers with real-time updates. These codes allow for dynamic interactions, such as delivering personalized offers, ensuring product compliance, and offering customers immediate access to essential data. By scanning the QR codes with a phone or professional scanner, consumers can instantly access key product details, including origin, sustainability certifications, and customer reviews.
Compliance with international barcode standards
The GS1 QR codes also meet international barcode standards, ensuring that businesses comply with regulations across different countries. This ensures that each product can be accurately tracked and traced through every stage of its lifecycle. Companies can now issue restricted circulation numbers to distinguish products by country code or geographic region, ensuring seamless management of products across different countries.
Future use of QR codes in product packaging
As companies around the world continue to innovate, the use of GS1 QR codes in product packaging is expected to increase. Manufacturers are already exploring how these codes can be used to mark product origins, improve logistics, and manage barcode prefixes. GS1 QR codes offer businesses a scalable solution for handling the supply chain challenges of tomorrow.
Conclusion: Setting a new standard in retail and logistics
The successful completion of the world’s first retail transaction using GS1 QR codes in Mexico marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of retail and supply chain management. As more companies embrace this technology, GS1 QR codes are set to revolutionize how businesses interact with their customers, manage their supply chains, and provide product transparency.
By partnering with industry leaders, Digital Link Connexum has demonstrated the limitless potential of GS1 QR codes for improving product identification, traceability, and compliance across different countries. This innovation marks the beginning of a new era for retail, where two-dimensional barcodes and Digital Product Passports will play a crucial role in shaping the future of product management.
