In short, GS1 Digital Link takes a barcode and turns it into a web address. This way, the information and additional data about the object become part of the wider Internet, allowing consumers, retailers, brand owners, and all others involved in the supply chain to access a wide range of updatable product information. It’s like the Internet of Things, minus the embedded sensors and microchips.
The digital link is then encoded in a 2D barcode, such as a QR Code, that works as a data carrier and can be added to the product or printed on its pack. Once scanned, the digital link QR Code will redirect users to a web resource in order to access the product information.
The most interesting thing is if a POS scanner is used to scan the digital link QR Code at a store’s checkout, the code will behave like any other barcode, supplying info about the price, SKUs, etc. But if the same code on the product packaging is scanned by consumers’ mobile devices, it will redirect to relevant content or to a brand-owned web page.
Of course, FDA-approved nutrition facts and EU Digital Product Passports are the first landing page options that come to mind. But, in addition to that, products might connect to a landing page for a promotional campaign, drive online shopping, prompt the download of mobile apps, show a how-to video, or provide a list of web links to multiple resources and platforms, including social media accounts.
It’s every marketer and all operations managers’ wildest dreams realized by an optimized solution, bundling consumer information, brand loyalty, and supply chain efficiency.
There will be no need to have both a traditional barcode and a QR Code – and maybe also an RFID label – on a water bottle or a smartphone box to provide different levels of information anymore. It’s one code to rule them all.
A single code that conveys standard product identifiers (like the GTIN) and, at the same time, enables a radically enhanced consumer experience. That’s GS1 Digital Link in a nutshell.