One number. Every shop knows it.
GS1 is the not-for-profit that runs the world's barcode numbers. It is why one scan at any till, in any country, finds the same product. Here is how it works, in five steps, and how a DeStore Link grows into it.
- 01JoinGet a company prefix
- 02NumberGive each product a GTIN
- 03EncodePut it in a barcode or QR
- 04ResolveA scan finds the right page
- 05ShareShops and markets check it
Join, and get your prefix.
A brand joins GS1 in its own country, GS1 Australia here, and pays a yearly fee. In return it gets a company prefix: a block of numbers that is its own, worldwide. No one else can use it.
The longer the prefix, the fewer product numbers it leaves you, and the less it costs each year.
Give each product its number.
That number is a GTIN. Your prefix, then a number you choose for the product, then one check digit. Every size, flavour and pack is its own GTIN. A new recipe can be a new one too.
9506000 is GS1's own example prefix. Try your own numbers.
Put it in a code.
For the till, the GTIN goes in a 1D barcode. For phones, it goes in a web address inside a QR code, called a GS1 Digital Link. Short codes in the address, called Application Identifiers, say what each part is.
The barcode carries the GTIN alone. The QR carries the GTIN and everything you add, inside an address a phone can open.
A scan finds the right page.
A Digital Link goes to a resolver. It reads the GTIN in the address and sends each scan where it should go. A till ignores the web part and reads the GTIN, so one code serves both.
gs1:pipGTIN onlygs1:recallStatusShops and markets check it.
A brand lists each GTIN with GS1: its name, brand, pack size and picture. Supermarkets, major retailers and Amazon check that list before they take your product. Along the supply chain, each move can be recorded as an event: what, where, when and why.
From 2027, the EU's Digital Product Passports arrive product group by product group. Each passport needs a number from a recognised issuer such as GS1.
The same page. A different number.
A DeStore Link is a QR code that opens your page, with a DeStore number inside it instead of a GTIN. No GS1 membership, no yearly fee. It is not a GS1 code, and it doesn't try to be.
| DeStore Link | GS1 Digital Link | |
|---|---|---|
| The number | DS-MLF-000001-C | 09506000134352 |
| The address | marlowfinch.destore.network /id/DS-MLF-000001-C | yourbrand.com /01/09506000134352 |
| Membership | None | GS1, yearly fee |
| Your page, in your brand | Yes | Yes |
| Change it after printing | Yes | Yes |
| Sell from the label | Yes | Yes |
| Scan map | Yes | Yes |
| A code for every item | Yes | Yes, with a serial |
| Supermarket checkout | No | Yes, with the barcode |
| Amazon and major retail | No | Yes |
| EU Digital Product Passport | No | Yes |
GS1 Digital Link on DeStore is coming. DeStore Links are live today.
Start with a DeStore Link. Grow into GS1.
Most brands start before they need a checkout. When you do, add GS1 to what you have. Nothing printed changes.
Espresso250 g · whole bean
- 1
Join GS1 and get your prefix. Number your products as GTINs.
- 2
Add GS1 in Brand Assets. It appears once you have your first DeStore Link.
- 3
Each product gets its GTIN. The GS1 address opens the same page as the DeStore Link. Same scans, same history, nothing made again.
- 4
At your next print run, add the barcode. The QR stays where it is. Every code already printed keeps working.
- 5
New products start on GS1. Your DeStore Links keep working, for as long as the jar is on a shelf.
The upgrade is coming to DeStore. Selling textiles or batteries into the EU? Those need a GS1 number for their passport from the start.
Asked often.
What is GS1?
The not-for-profit that runs the world's barcode numbers. Brands join it in their own country, get a block of numbers, and give each product one. Every till and marketplace reads those numbers the same way.
What is a GTIN?
A Global Trade Item Number: the number under a barcode. Your company prefix, a number for the product, and a check digit. Every size and flavour gets its own.
What is a GS1 Digital Link?
A web address with a GTIN inside it, put in a QR code. A phone opens the address. A till that reads 2D codes reads the GTIN. One code does both jobs.
Do I need GS1 to use a QR code?
No. A DeStore Link opens your page with no GS1 membership. You need GS1 when a supermarket, a major retailer, Amazon or an EU passport asks for a GTIN.
Is a DeStore Link a GS1 code?
No. It carries a DeStore number, not a GTIN. It won't scan at a checkout and can't be the number on an EU Digital Product Passport.
Can I move from DeStore Links to GS1 later?
Yes, and nothing printed changes. Each product gets its GTIN, both addresses open the same page, and you add the barcode at your next print run. The upgrade is coming to DeStore.
What does an Application Identifier do?
It says what the next part of the code is: 01 for the GTIN, 10 for a batch, 17 for a use-by date, 21 for a serial number. In a Digital Link each one sits in the address, as in /01/…/10/….
Start today. Add GS1 when you need it.
Your first DeStore Link is free to make. A$10 of credit, no card, no GS1 fee.