40-year-old bar code evolves for the digital age

Today, the beep of UPCs being scanned is heard more than five billion times a day across the globe. The data that accompanies the bar code spans continents, economies and markets to create a global language of business—a language for identifying, capturing and sharing information automatically and accurately.
The new paradigm for the global supply chain is based on business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) interaction, combining manufacturing and distribution data with consumer data for an "omni-channel" that works in both the physical and digital world. An "omni-channel" is indispensable in this digital age when consumers can get information directly from manufacturers or retailers and make purchases via phone, internet or in the physical space.