According to the standards-development organization, the change supports a more intuitive product-identification management process for the modern-day retail marketplace. GTINs are the series of numbers indicated under a UPC barcode symbol. They are used by brands to uniquely identify trade items in the supply chain and online. GS1’s GTIN Management Standard simplifies a set of business principles previously outlined in its predecessor, the GTIN Allocation Rules. The new standard includes 10 unique product-identification rules, condensed from 46. It is part of a larger industry initiative dedicated to making the rules for GTIN management, and sharing of data about minor product changes, simpler and more effective. While industry can begin using the new standard immediately, there is no expected need to change processes or systems already in place that were based on the former rules, GS1 said.
