01
At checkout
Carry the GTIN
Give upgraded retail point-of-sale systems the product identifier they expect from a next-generation barcode.
Retail 2D · Ambition 2027
Your barcode is becoming a product channel.
Build a dynamic QR Code using GS1 Digital Link syntax—designed to identify the product at retail and connect every package to an editable digital experience.
GTIN check-digit validationEditable destinationsBrand-owned domains
Sample product
One package.
Two scanning eras.
0 950600 013435
Linear code stays during transition
Live
GS1 Digital Link
Destination last updatedToday · no reprint
Ambition 2027 is an industry readiness goal—not a blanket mandate to remove every 1D barcode.
Read the GS1 explanationOne physical mark
The next-generation barcode can serve different people at different moments.
More than a checkout beep.
02
In operations
Add useful attributes
Optionally encode batch, lot, serial, and expiry data for traceability and operational use cases.
03
After the scan
Own the experience
Send shoppers to brand-authorized product content through a URL you can update after packaging is printed.
Transition without breaking checkout.
Retail systems will upgrade on different timelines. The practical move is a controlled dual-marking period, backed by testing with printers and trading partners.
1
Keep the existing linear barcode while retail partners upgrade.
2
Add a QR Code with GS1 Digital Link syntax near the linear barcode.
3
Test the final symbol, substrate, placement, and point-of-sale workflow.
4
Retire dual marking only when your trading-partner ecosystem is ready.
The 50 mm rule, correctly understood
GS1 testing says the 2D code should be within 50 mm of the linear barcode's centre during dual marking. It is a proximity guideline—not a universal 50 mm QR-code size.
Start with one SKU