GS1 US Celebrates 50 Years of Digital Commerce

Fifty years ago, leaders from the biggest names in commerce came together and transformed the global economy forever by developing the Global Trade Item Number (known as the GTIN) – also commonly called the Universal Product Code (U.P.C.).

This numerical code uniquely identifies products and is the core of the barcode, the most important supply chain standard in history. Approximately three years later – on June 26, 1974 – a U.P.C. barcode was scanned for the first time on a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

Today, the barcode is scanned over six billion times daily and remains one of the most trusted symbols in the world. It is present on more than 100 million products and used by 2 million companies globally.

The 1971 historic meeting took place in New York City and included leaders from the biggest names in grocery, retail and consumer goods at the time, including H.J. Heinz Company, General Mills, Inc., The Kroger Company and Bristol Myers Company. The executives agreed to create a system to uniquely identify every single product, calling it the Global Trade Item Number, or GTIN. With great foresight, they believed that the GTIN could have a positive impact even beyond the grocery store – from warehouses to boardrooms – and would boost speed and efficiency of transactions and processes that could transform everything from supply chains to consumer experiences. They agreed at the meeting to continue to innovate together to create a system that would benefit businesses and consumers alike.

GS1 Standards such as the GTIN embedded in the barcode symbol continue to help make the vast complexity of modern global business flow quickly, efficiently and securely, simplifying supply chain processes in almost every sector around the world. However, as consumers demand more and better product information, industry is collaborating to bring barcodes to the next level.
A 2020 GS1 US research study titled “Powering the Future of Retail” revealed that 82% of retailers and 92% of brand owners support transitioning from the U.P.C. to a data-rich two-dimensional (2D) barcode (e.g., QR Code, GS1 DataMatrix), digital watermark and/or RFID.