GS1 Barcodes: Cost, Compliance & How They Power Modern Supply Chains

What Are GS1 Barcodes and Why Do They Matter? GS1 barcodes are globally standardized codes that uniquely identify products, cases, or pallets across the supply chain. Each GS1 barcode contains a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), which ensures your product is traceable and recognized by major retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. GS1 barcodes are essential for retail, eCommerce, and logistics — powering automation, inventory accuracy, and product authenticity across global supply chains. How GS1 US Powers GS1 Barcodes and Global Standards GS1 US is the official body that assigns unique Company Prefixes in the United States. These prefixes form the base of your GS1 barcode numbers. GS1 US also maintains the standards used for: UPC for retail products GS1–128 (formerly UCC-128) for shipping containers QR and DataMatrix codes for healthcare and logistics GS1 Barcodes vs UPC Codes: What’s the Difference? GS1 is the organization that defines barcode standards. UPC is just on...