Accra: GS1 Ghana, a global organization comprising over a million members, recently conducted a seminar aimed at educating its member companies on the impending shift from 1D to 2D barcodes in their business operations, scheduled for 2027. This event, themed '2D barcodes - infinite possibilities for brand owners and retailers,' sought to prepare industry stakeholders, including manufacturers and retailers, for the transition.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Kofi Nagetey, Chief Executive Officer of GS1 Ghana, emphasized the necessity for Ghanaian businesses to stay informed and ready for the transition to 2D barcodes. While the GTIN 1D linear barcode has long been a reliable tool for price look-up at retail points-of-sale, it has notable limitations. Linear barcodes require a mobile device app for accessing online information and do not provide as much consumer-friendly data as QR codes, which enable direct access to extensive product data.
Mr. Nagetey highlighted the pressing demand among consumers, brand owners, retailers, and regulators for more detailed product information accessible through a simple scan on product packaging. This demand drives the retail industry's significant shift toward adopting 2D barcodes, which can encode more data on packaging and facilitate consumer engagement through links to web-enabled information.
The seminar focused on the implications for brand owners, manufacturers, retailers, and solution providers concerning the use of 2D barcodes encoded with GS1 barcode syntaxes at retail points-of-sale. These barcodes, such as GS1 DataMatrix and QR Codes, can store more data than their linear counterparts, allowing for additional information like expiry dates, batch numbers, or serial numbers, as well as web links to ingredient details, product images, and more.
The transition to 2D barcodes is expected to revolutionize consumer engagement by making it more interactive and informative. Mr. Nagetey noted that the initial goal is for retail POS systems to be globally capable of reading and processing GTINs from both existing linear and new 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. He urged businesses, particularly those involved in manufacturing, exporting, and retailing, to prepare for necessary adjustments, such as investing in 2D barcode scanners.
Mr. Kofi Essuman, Chairman of the Management Board of GS1 Ghana and main speaker at the seminar, stated that the shift to 2D barcodes would enhance business efficiency, inventory monitoring, and consumer communication. He emphasized the need to sensitize the Ghanaian business community to upcoming changes, as many countries are already transitioning to 2D barcodes.
The seminar also addressed challenges associated with the transition, including the predominance of informal trade sectors and the costs of replacing existing equipment with new scanners. Additionally, there is a need for retraining employees to adapt to the new barcode technology.
Professor Alex Dodoo, Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, who chaired the seminar, encouraged businesses to embrace evolving technological trends to remain competitive. He stressed that avoiding technological advancements could result in competitors gaining an edge, ultimately affecting business performance.