GS1 Digital Link Overview

GS1 Digital Link

WHAT IS IT?

GS1 Digital Link upgrades the ubiquitous UPC/EAN 1D barcode (used by over two million manufacturers on more than four trillion product items per year!) so that every product can connect to the web, be smartphone interactive, and transact with point-of-sale systems – all with a single QR code.

WHEN WILL IT TAKE EFFECT?

Now! The standard was originally published in 2018, and many forward-looking organizations have already started to adopt. A driving factor for this adoption is GS1’s initiative Sunrise 2027. This is when the retail industry will begin accepting 2D barcodes powered by GS1 Digital Link at point of sale and the 50-year-old 1D barcode can officially fade into the glorious retirement it has so richly earned.

I’M IN MARKETING, WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?

Because you care way more about this than you can imagine, you just don’t know it yet. Today, most URLs embedded in QR codes are short codes, generated by QR code service providers. As a result of Sunrise 2027, the URL contained in QR codes will need to shift from proprietary dynamic short codes to the standards based GS1 Digital Link. This means that in most organizations, the IT group will maintain these Digital Links in their master data management systems, like they do Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) today.

The existing service provider model generally works fine for marketing teams who care mostly about ease of use and the ability to control the destination URL. But because of Sunrise 2027, this will no longer be a decision made by Marketing alone; Marketing and IT teams will need to collaborate to ensure that their GS1 Digital Link provider meets the needs of both groups by supporting the simplicity of existing marketing workflows, and the enterprise scale and security needs of IT. Many existing QR code solution providers don’t meet these new enterprise-wide criteria, and brands will need to look to more sophisticated, secure systems for managing their Digital Link portfolio.

Lest you think this is simply a new burden for marketing. To the contrary, GS1 Digital Link will also increase the power of the QR code, allowing Marketing to do some cool new things. In addition to GS1 Digital Link being embedded in the QR code on your product, it can be used in the digital world as well. It is (after all) simply a web URL. Sophisticated systems will allow Marketing teams to manage all their web advertisements using Digital Link. Additionally, all physical assets related to a product (flyers, posters, marketing giveaways, etc.) can be powered by Digital Links. One link to power marketing assets and products in both the physical and digital world is a game changer for both utility and ease-of-use.

The standard supports something called “Link types”, so different systems can have different interactions when scanning a digital link. A POS system will return price, a supply chain system may return product origin location, and a retail system may return inventory, while your consumer will still see whatever you want them to see. Speaking of…

When users scan a Digital Link, they can use things like the language settings of their browser to be redirected to an appropriately customized experience. Sophisticated Digital Link service providers will extend this basic capability identified in the scope of the standard, to allow use of additional context such as geographic location, number of times a user has scanned, a user profile or market segment to determine the destination of a user scan.

WHY DIGIMARC?

• We think we are pretty awesome. But, just in case that isn’t enough we have a long history of working with CPG and retail companies to power innovative industry and consumer solutions. We are also way more than just a Digital Link solution provider. We create a digital twin for your product, giving it a digital life. This digital twin acts as intelligent agent for your product, and all of its assets, in both the physical and digital world. Our digital twins power Digimarc Engage, our product that helps Marketing teams manage all the Digital Link driven engagements from scanning a QR code to clicking on a Twitter ad.
  
  But our digital twins can do much more! Like orchestrate the interaction when a consumer wants to ensure that a digital asset is brand authentic, or when a brand inspector wants to determine the authenticity of a product, or when your product with plastic packaging reaches a waste facility to ensure it is sorted properly, and many more types of interactions. Plus, we have a long history (25+ years) in product digitization and are trusted by some of the world’s largest brand owners, retailers, and government entities.
   
• Digimarc is the only solution provider that provides these capabilities and a free RAND license to the IP that underpins GS1 Digital Link (patent trolls be gone). With additional functionality that makes your always-on, direct-to-consumer channel as powerful as it is easy, Digimarc also incorporates into your existing marketing workflow.