By Kaitlin Friedmann, Marketing Director, Small Business Growth, GS1 US
Entrepreneurs in the retail industry are likely aware of the increased demand from consumers to know more about the products they buy. Often, the package can’t hold all the information they seek, such as product origin stories, certificates to back up sustainability claims, and more. Throughout the product life cycle, there may also be information that needs to be communicated to the end customer, such as recalls, updates, and disposal recommendations.
The retail industry is on the verge of a major change in packaging to respond to this increased demand for more information. Brands and retailers are beginning to transition UPC barcodes, a 50-year old technology, to more data-rich, robust two-dimensional barcodes (i.e. a QR code).
