Skip to main content
In short: by the end of 2027, retail checkouts worldwide are expected to read 2D barcodes such as QR codes as well as UPC and EAN barcodes. Products can then carry a QR code or Data Matrix in place of, or alongside, their UPC or EAN. If your app scans products, it should read both, and get the same GTIN from either.

Decode one

Scan or paste a barcode and see every part of it.

Make one

Generate a valid barcode from fields.

​
What’s changing

GS1, which manages the numbers in retail barcodes, has set a goal for the end of 2027: every retail point-of-sale system should be able to read and process a defined set of 2D barcodes, in addition to the linear barcodes it reads today. GS1 US calls the program Sunrise 2027 and began it in May 2020. Globally, GS1 calls it Ambition 2027. UPC and EAN barcodes aren’t going away. They’ll keep scanning at checkout after 2027. What changes is that a brand can choose a 2D barcode instead.

​
Which barcodes

Three 2D options are approved for retail checkout: At minimum, a checkout system must be able to get the GTIN out of all three, and keep reading every existing retail linear barcode: UPC, EAN and the GS1 DataBar variants used at checkout. QR Code with GS1 Digital Link is the option meant for consumers: a phone’s camera app opens it as a web page, while the checkout reads the same code as a product. GS1 DataMatrix suits products that need a lot of data in a small space, such as medicines.

​
Why

A 2D barcode can carry more than a product number. It can include the batch, the expiry date and a serial number, which helps with recalls, food waste and traceability. And with GS1 Digital Link, the same code that rings up the product can take a shopper to its ingredients, instructions or offers.

​
The transition

During the transition, many products carry two barcodes: their existing UPC or EAN, and a 2D barcode next to it. This is called dual marking. After 2027, a brand can choose either.

​
What it means for your app

If your app scans retail products:
  1. Read QR Code and Data Matrix as well as UPC and EAN. The Retail product group includes QR Code and Data Matrix when they carry a GTIN, so a field set to it reads products in either form and ignores other QR codes.
  2. Accept both kinds of 2D data. A GS1 DataMatrix contains element strings. A QR code contains a GS1 Digital Link web address. Get the GTIN out of either. See GS1 Application Identifiers and GS1 Digital Link.
  3. Expect two barcodes on one product. A dual-marked pack can be scanned twice, once from each barcode. Both give the same GTIN, so compare GTINs, not raw scans, to avoid counting it twice.
  4. Store GTINs in one form. A 2D barcode gives you a 14-digit GTIN where the UPC gave you 12 digits. Normalize every scan. See Normalization.
  5. Use the extra data. Expiry dates and batch numbers are there to be checked, for example to stop expired stock being sold.
  6. Treat Digital Link addresses as data. The web address can be on any domain the brand chooses, not only GS1’s. Extract the GTIN; don’t assume a domain, and don’t open the link without checking it.

​
Specification