QR Code

What is a QR Code?

A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that stores data in a grid of black and white modules. Originally developed by Denso Wave in 1994 for automotive parts tracking, QR codes have become ubiquitous because any smartphone camera can read them.

QR codes can encode up to 7,089 numeric characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters, and they include Reed-Solomon error correction that allows them to be read even when partially damaged. For GS1 supply chain applications, the most important development is the GS1 Digital Link - a standard that structures GS1 identifiers as web URLs inside a QR code.

Used for: Consumer engagement (product information, marketing), supply chain traceability, retail point-of-sale (via GS1 Digital Link), authentication, and serialisation.

GS1 Digital Link

GS1 Digital Link is a standard that encodes GS1 identifiers as structured web URLs. Instead of carrying a raw number like a traditional barcode, a Digital Link QR code contains a URL where the path segments map directly to GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs).

URL format

The path segments /01/ and /21/ correspond to the same Application Identifiers used in GS1-128 barcodes. This means a GS1 Digital Link URL carries the same structured data as a traditional barcode - but in a format that is also a valid web address.

This dual nature is the key innovation:

• A standard QR reader (any smartphone) opens the URL, which can resolve to a product page, nutritional information, recall notices, or marketing content - enabling direct consumer engagement.
• A GS1-aware POS scanner parses the URL structure and extracts the GTIN , serial number, batch, and other AIs - functioning exactly like scanning a traditional barcode at retail checkout.

How QR Code / Digital Link relates to EPC/RFID

A GS1 Digital Link QR code and an EPC RFID tag can carry the same underlying identifiers. The GTIN and serial number encoded in a Digital Link URL map directly to the fields in SGTIN EPC schemes.

In supply chains that use both technologies, a product might carry a GS1 Digital Link QR code on its consumer-facing label and an SGTIN EPC tag on its RFID inlay - both encoding the same GTIN and serial number, serving different read scenarios.

Sunrise 2027

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is a global initiative positioning GS1 Digital Link QR codes as the eventual successor to traditional EAN/UPC barcodes at retail point of sale. By 2027, GS1 expects retailers worldwide to be able to accept 2D barcodes - including Digital Link QR codes - at checkout.

The transition does not mean EAN/UPC barcodes will disappear overnight. Instead, Sunrise 2027 establishes 2D readiness as a baseline expectation: POS systems should be capable of reading both legacy 1D barcodes and new 2D symbols. Over time, brands can migrate to QR codes that serve a dual function - marketing and supply chain in a single symbol - rather than printing separate barcodes and QR codes on the same package.

For RFID-enabled supply chains, this convergence is significant. As the same GS1 identifiers flow through Digital Link QR codes, GS1-128 barcodes, and EPC RFID tags, the three technologies become interoperable views of the same data.

Where QR Code / Digital Link is used

• Consumer engagement: Product pages, how-to videos, ingredient transparency, sustainability information, and loyalty programmes - all accessible with a smartphone scan.
• Retail POS (Sunrise 2027): As retailers upgrade to 2D-capable scanners, Digital Link QR codes will replace or supplement traditional EAN/UPC barcodes at checkout.
• Traceability: Encoding batch, lot, and serial data in the URL enables farm-to-fork and pharmaceutical track-and-trace without requiring specialised scanning hardware.
• Authentication: Serialised Digital Link QR codes can be verified against a cloud database to detect counterfeits.
• Healthcare: Pharmaceutical packaging increasingly uses 2D barcodes for serialisation under regulations like the EU Falsified Medicines Directive and US DSCSA.

Related EPC schemes

Source

GS1 Digital Link Standard, GS1 2D Barcodes initiative, and the GS1 General Specifications. The mapping between Digital Link AIs and EPC schemes is defined in the GS1 EPC Tag Data Standard, Release 2.3.