Digital Link to connect brands and consumers online

Global supply chain standards organisation GS1 has announced a new global web standard to help industry optimise online shopping for the consumer.
In an age where the shopping activity can happen anytime, anywhere – and product data and transparency are in demand – this new GS1 standard will empower consumers and businesses alike to move seamlessly through the world of physical and digital commerce, bringing mobile phone scanning into the 21^st century.
Head of customer relations and standards office at GS1 Australia Sue Schmid said: “The GS1 Digital Link is a new generation GS1 global standard that is the foundational bridge between physical products and their digital twins.”
Developed by a group of retailers, brand owners, software providers and technology experts, together with GS1, the GS1 Digital Link standard will complement the traditional, ubiquitous GS1 barcode, which is expected to remain the universal standard for product identification for many years to come. It opens the door, however, for a potential opportunity to migrate to a single web-enabled barcode in the future.
Resembling a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or web address, the GS1 Digital Link can enable connections to all types of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) information.
Retailers and brands deploying GS1 Digital Link will benefit from the simplification of product packaging and the ability to connect with their customers. By linking the physical world of commerce with its digital counterpart, customers will be able to be alerted on discounts and price matching while they are still inside the physical store.
“As businesses begin to develop systems using the new GS1 Digital Link standard, consumers will be able to access a variety of brand-authorised product information by simply scanning a web-enabled barcode. The product information available will be everything from dimensions and images to expiration dates, nutritional data, warranty registration, troubleshooting instructions, discount offers and even social media links,” added Ms Schmid.
GS1 senior vice president solutions & innovation Robert Beideman said: “The GS1 Digital Link standard will ensure that product data, information about inventory and digital assets for a particular product are linked to each other through a common identity that also links to the actual physical product, which is essential to serving the needs of consumers today.”
Pilot projects are now underway in several countries and some solution providers and brands are already cooperating to upgrade their platforms to support this new GS1 Digital Link standard. Other GS1 standards will also continue to improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels.
The GS1 Digital Link was developed through the Global Standards Management Process (GSMP), the community-based forum, facilitated by GS1, where businesses facing common problems work together and develop standards-based solutions.
For more information about the GS1 Digital Link contact the GS1 Customer Support team or call 1300 22 263.