Product Identity & Barcodes: From Linear Barcodes to 2D Digital Carriers

Executive Summary

Sunrise 2027 is not a barcode upgrade—it is a product identity transformation. By 2027, retailers and brands globally are expected to support 2D barcodes (QR codes, DataMatrix) at the point of sale, alongside or replacing traditional linear barcodes.

This shift fundamentally changes how products are identified, described, governed, and experienced. For enterprises, product identity is no longer just a GTIN printed on packaging—it becomes a gateway to rich, dynamic, and contextual data.

What Is Sunrise 2027?

Sunrise 2027 is a global GS1-led initiative encouraging the adoption of 2D barcodes that can encode or reference significantly more information than traditional 1D barcodes.

Unlike linear barcodes, 2D barcodes can:

• Carry or link to batch/lot and serial numbers

• Represent expiry or best-before dates

• Enable variable data per product instance

• Connect consumers and partners to real-time digital content

Sunrise 2027 marks the point where 2D barcodes become operationally mainstream across retail and supply chains.

What This Means for Our "Ways of Working"?

Currently, our product data processes are static. We assign a GTIN, print it, and forget it. Sunrise 2027 forces our data to become dynamic.

1. Packaging Redesign: Every SKU we own will eventually need a packaging update to include 2D codes (specifically GS1 Digital Links).

2. Data Governance: We can no longer just manage a product ID. We must now manage the internet address (URL) that the barcode points to. If that link breaks, the product is "broken" in the eyes of the consumer.

3. Inventory Discipline: With batch and expiry data encoded on the pack, retailers will implement "hard stops" at checkout. If we ship expired goods, the POS will reject them automatically.

The Risk of Inaction

Failing to adopt 2D QR codes ahead of Sunrise 2027 creates both operational and strategic risk. The risk is not just non-compliance; it is data fragmentation. Without a centralized approach, Marketing will create one set of QR codes for campaigns, Supply Chain will create another for tracking, and IT will struggle to reconcile them.

At an operational level, organizations may face retailer non-compliance, slower checkouts, labeling rework, and fragmented product data, leading to higher costs and last-minute firefighting. Strategically, inaction means missing the shift from products as physical items to products as digital touchpoints—eroding brand trust, limiting consumer engagement, weakening traceability and recall readiness, and falling behind competitors who leverage 2D codes for transparency, sustainability, and personalized experiences.

In short, delaying adoption turns Sunrise 2027 from a manageable transformation into a disruptive, reactive crisis.

What's so special about 2D QR Codes?

QR Codes / 2D barcodes allow for a single, standardized way to meet both supply chain needs and evolving consumer requirements. The information carried by QR Codes can also help enable:

• Improved inventory management
• Enhanced recall readiness
• Greater sustainability and ethical sourcing
• Better product authentication
• Greater brand trust
  

• Retailers would need to ensure their POS systems are equipped with scanners capable of reading both traditional 1D barcodes and 2D QR barcodes
• Manufacturers would need to choose the most appropriate data carriers for their needs, either QR Codes or DataMatrix (commonly used in healthcare), and determine what additional data to embed in the barcode—e.g., product expiry date, lot number, serial number, etc.

How Prodsphere Prepares You?

This is where Prodsphere becomes our competitive advantage. Prodsphere is not just a repository, but can act as the resolution engine for Sunrise 2027.

• Centralized URL Management: Prodsphere will generate and manage the "Digital Link" for every SKU. When a consumer scans the code, Prodsphere decides what they see based on context (e.g., showing a recall notice if the batch is flagged, or a promo video if it's not).

• Attribute Governance: We will use Prodsphere’s flexible data modeling to store the new GS1 attributes (Batch, Expiry, Serial) alongside the standard master data, ensuring a single source of truth.

• Collaboration: Prodsphere will allow our packaging teams to pull the exact, approved QR data strings directly into their artwork files, eliminating manual copy-paste errors.

How are you planning your adoption of Sunrise 2027?

Any questions or help with regards to the new regulation, feel free to reach out to us at contact@prodsphere.com