The barcode is on its way out: what GS1 Digital Link is and what it changes for your brand

For 50 years, the barcode has done one thing very well: tell the checkout which product you're buying. Today the industry is getting ready to replace it with something that does much more, without giving that up.

What GS1 Digital Link is

GS1 Digital Link is an open standard for putting a product's code (its GTIN, the number printed under the bars today) inside a web address. That address is printed as a QR code.

The result is a QR with two lives:

• At checkout, the scanner extracts the GTIN and rings up the product as usual.
• On a phone, the same QR opens information about the product: its page, instructions, warranty, ingredients or whatever the brand chooses to show.

The QR can also carry the batch, the expiry date or a serial number. With a serial number, each unit stops being "just another one" and gets its own identity.

Why now: Sunrise 2027

For this to work, checkouts need to read 2D codes. The industry has a goal known as Sunrise 2027: points of sale ready to accept these codes. The barcode won't disappear overnight, but brands that start early will have packaging ready for both worlds.

What your brand gains

• One code on the package for the checkout and for the customer.
• Always up-to-date information: the product page lives online, not in the package ink.
• A direct channel with people who already bought your product.
• Usage data: how often it's scanned and from where, without asking anyone for personal data.

What taggle adds

A QR with only the GTIN is the same on every unit. taggle works per unit: each tag knows who its owner is, can be recovered if it gets lost, keeps its history and helps detect copies. That's what we already do with our NFC + QR tags.

Our next step is a resolver compatible with the GS1 Digital Link standard, built for brands:

• Each brand gets its own subdomain, for example yourbrand.taggle.fyi.
• The QR opens your product's official page, fast and from any phone.
• You see scan analytics in your dashboard.
• taggle tags that are already printed keep working the same way.

It's in development. If you're interested for your brand, leave us your details and we'll let you know when the pilot opens.

What you need on your side

GTINs belong to your brand: they are assigned by the GS1 organization in your country when your company joins. taggle doesn't assign or sell them; we use yours. If you don't have GTINs yet, that's the first step.

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