What is GS1 Standards

GS1 standards create a common foundation for business by uniquely identifying, accurately capturing and automatically sharing vital information about products, locations, assets and more. Our standards make it possible for companies to speak the common language and enable visibility in the supply chain.

Identify

Capture

Use

Identify

Globally unique identification(ID)keys for identifying trade items, logistic units, locations and assets across the supply chain from manufacturer to consumer. GS1 ID Keys enable organisations to assign standard identifiers to products, documents, physical locations and more.

List of GS1 IDKeys

GS1 ID Keys	Used to Identify	Example
GTIN (Global trade Item Number)	Products	Clothes sold online or a cake sold in shop
GLN (Global Location Number)	Parties and locations	Companies, warehouses, factories, stores
SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code)	Logistics units	Pallets, containers, roll cages, parcels
GRAI (Global Returnable Asset Identifier)	Returnable equipment used for transporting goods	Pallet bases, crates, totes
GIAI (Global Individual Asset Identifier)	Assets such as high value equipment	Medical equipment, manufacturing equipment
GSRN (Global Service Relation Number)	People	Members of a customer loyalty scheme, patients, employees
GDTI (Global Document Type Identifier)	Documents	Papers including tax demands, shipment forms, insurance policies, driving licences
GINC (Global Identification Number for Consignment)	Consignment	Logistics units that comprise a single consignment
GSIN (Global Shipment Identification Number)	A grouping of logistics units that travelunder one dispatch advice of bill of lading	Customs authorities identify shipments going in and out of the country
GCN (Global Coupon Number)	Coupons	A money-off paper, electronic or mobile coupon
CPID (Component / Part Identifier)	Components and parts	Components or parts that have to go through at least one more transformation process to create final products, such as a motor for a washing machine, a pipe or a tube
GMN (Global Model Number)	Product model	Medical devices

Get a barcode from GS1 Hong Kong

Capture

Automatic data capture from data carriers like barcodes and RFID, which allow GS1 ID keys and supplementary data to be understood.

GS1 Data Carrier - Barcodes

A barcode represents numbers or letters in a machine-readable format that can be decoded, recorded and processed by a computer system when read by a barcode scanner. Know More

GS1 Data Carrier -EPC-enabled RFID Tags

The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is syntax for unique identifiers assigned to physical objects, locations or other identifiable entity playing a role in business operations.

When unique EPCs are encoded on to individual Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)tags, radio waves can be used to capture the unique identifiers at extremely high rates and at distances without line-of-sight contact, which can be leveraged to boost supply chain visibility and increase inventory accuracy.

When to use RFID:

Inventory management: Counting and identifying multiple objects simultaneously and quickly to increase inventory accuracy
Unmanned store: Automatically identifying products to increase labour productivity

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For technical information about GS1 System of Standards, visit our Standards Library

Facilitate the efficient exchange of business critical information, including master data, transactional data, event data and behavioral data, ensure that the correct information gets to the right stakeholders at the right time.

1. Master Data

GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) : enables trading partners to access and exchange product master data in real-time. Product master data is entered into a GDSN-certified data pool.

BarcodePlus : a cloud-based product andlocation information portal for GS1 HK membersto manage product information and data, as well astoshare product information with trading partners. The platform is connected to WeChat’s database,consumers can gain instant access to the latest product information when they scan the product barcodes through WeChat’s ‘Scan QR Code’ function.

DigitalLink: enables connections to all types of business-to-business and business-to-consumer informationencoded in data carriers like barcode, QR code, RFID, GS1 DataMatrix tag, or near-field communication (NFC). It works the same way a web address (URL) points to a specific website, consumers/ business partners can be directed to all types of digital information after scanning the data carrier, accessing information like expiration dates, nutritional and medical product data, warranty registration, or even social media links.

The standard fulfills the promise of barcodes to enhance the experience for consumers around the globe while strengthening brand loyalty, improving supply chain traceability, patient safety and efficiencies. It can be applied more specifically in the healthcare sector, so manufacturers, healthcareproviders and consumers can access information online about medications and medical devices by scanning a single barcode.

Benefits:

Retailers and brands: simplifyproduct packaging and the ability to connect with their customers by linking the physical world of commerce with its digital counterpart-Consumers: enhance shopping experience as they can access a variety of brand authorised product information by simply scanning a web-enabled barcode

2. Transactional data

Transactional data is the information exchanged between trading partners throughout the supply chain, such as orders, invoices and delivery notes. This process is also known as the Order-to-Cash cycle.

The automation of the order-to-cash cycle and the exchange of electronic business messages directly between computer systems of two organisations is called EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). GS1 EDI standards provide a universal structure for electronic business messages, enabling efficient, accurate and cost-effective business data communications between trading partners.

ezTRADE™: Empowered by GS1 EDI standards, ezTRADE™is a B2B e-commerce platform developed by GS1 Hong Kong that facilitates paperless transfer of electronic business documents, such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping advices etc. All messages delivered by ezTRADE™are defined based on the internationalGS1 EANCOM® / EDIFACT standard to enable automatic processing of information among proprietarycomputer systems.

3. Event Data

Event data is the information generated by an item as it moves through the supply chain, including the what, where, when and status of an object. GS1 EPCIS (Electronic Product Information Services) is a standard that defines this information and allows it to be shared.

ezTRACK™ Built on EPCIS, GS1 Hong Kong developed ezTRACK™, a standard-based platform that allows enterprises to instantly access multiple levels of business-critical information, including work-in-progress status, product inventory data, delivery schedules, etc. This community service addresses enterprises' increasingdemand for a highly reliable and robust solution that can track and trace the flow of goods and product information from point of manufacture to point of sale.The platform helpsto improve the visibility, integrity and transparency of cross-border trade in the Asia-Pacific by automating the exchange of sea freight data.

4. Behavioral Data

Behavioral data is the shopper information captured during consumer journey, including demographics, product preferences and shopping behaviorlikefrequency of purchase,products that consumers are interested in, or how they interactwith the brand.

ezSIGHT: an intelligence solutionwith consumer analytics and insightfor brand owners to deepen understanding onpotential consumers, optimise promotion effectiveness with data-driven marketing based on consumer insights, as well as to provide personalised shopping experience to consumers and drive sales.

Use

Data is the new currency and GS1 standard is the key to unlocking its potentials. Using data derived from GS1 standards, businesses can get products to market faster, open up new markets, strengthen consumer trust,enhance consumer experience, gain insights,streamline business processesand make other business decisions.

An extensive portfolio of solutions and services has been developed based on GS1 standards, in five core categories: enterprise trading services, smart business solutions, omni-channel commerce, brand protection and professional services.

Enterprise Trade Services

Enable a connected & sustainable trading community by facilitating trading activities with partners

ezTRADE: accelerate order-to-cash cycle and facilitate paperless trading
Supplier Portal: Web-based global sourcing and trading partner management solution that facilitates global product procurement and centralizes product data and master data management

Smart Business Solutions

Digitalise business processes with technology and data-driven approach

Smart Operations: Do more with less and achieve operational excellence with technologies like IoT, data analytics, to predict and act for better productivity
Smart Retail : Fuel better consumer experience & drive business with insights
Smart Cold Chain Management: Provide simplified, precise, standardised and cost-effective temperature & humidity monitoring on real-time basis, stay on top of any unusual situations

Brand Protection

Protect your brand and build trust among partners and consumers

Omni-Channel Commerce

Bridge physical and digital with unique product identity, enhance exposure and engage consumers

GS1 SmartSearch: Enhance website ranking on major search engines such as Google, Bing etc, learn more
Digital Coupon: Engage consumers and drive spending with digital coupon, understand campaign effectiveness and consumer behavior through real time data

Professional Services

Our Smart Professional Services can help companies to upgrade and transform with supply chain digitalisation & automation

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