Update on GS1

In recent weeks manufacturer coupons with the GS1 DataBar, as the only bar code, have entered the marketplace.  Retailers will being seeing these coupons in larger numbers in the weeks and months to come.  The expectation is that most retailers are able to process them at the checkout.  The National Grocers Association found that just 55% of independent grocers were prepared to handle the DataBar at the checkout, with another 10% expected to be ready in the first half of 2012.

The Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC), the multi-association industry group that sets coupon policies, originally set January 2010 as the voluntary launch date of DataBar-only coupons without the UPC-A.  However, it became clear that many retailers were still not prepared, so the issuing of the DataBar-only coupons was postponed until the end of 2011 or the first quarter of 2012.

In the coming months and years, GS1 Member Organizations will continue to work with their retailer communities to determine when GS1 DataBar will be used in open trade on any items between 2012 and 2014.  At this point, 2014 is the date when GS1 DataBar can be used globally in any open trade on any product.

To be ready for GS1 DataBar, your POS system needs to have the scanning hardware and the POS software, including your back office application, that maintain the POS item files capable of reading and processing this format.  If you need to know if your POS system is ready, please contact an STCR Representative at (607) 757-0181.