GS1’s Sunrise 2027 Is Already Underway

Hi there,

15 months from the Sunrise 2027 deadline, and retailers and brands alike aren't waiting around.

I sat in on one of GS1's monthly prep webinars a few weeks back, and everyone had questions.

There's a lot moving fast right now, so let's get into it.

What Sunrise 2027 Requires, and Why Brands Aren't Waiting

Sunrise 2027 is GS1's initiative to move retail off 1D UPC barcodes and onto 2D codes, like QR codes, that carry real data instead of a dead stripe: batch numbers, expiration dates, serial numbers, a live link straight to a webpage.

The current deadline is the end of 2027. It's a retailer deadline. By then, retail point-of-sale systems are expected to read and process these 2D codes alongside the barcodes already in use. GS1 hasn't set a matching deadline for brands.

But that doesn't mean brands can sit this one out. On calls with brands, we're already hearing that retailers are planning requirements for the brands they carry, well ahead of anything GS1 makes official.

Along with retailer compatibility and requirements, there is a rapidly increasing demand for more information about the products we use and consume, and many brands are already exploring/implementing these 2D barcode solutions to meet consumer and business needs [2].

None of this is only about clearing a compliance bar.

Retailers get batch-level traceability, faster and more precise recalls, and inventory accuracy a barcode never gave them. GS1 US's own research backs up the size of that upside: 2D barcodes can cut warehouse operating costs by more than 60%, worth upward of $500,000 a year per facility, mostly by fixing the scan failures and mislabeling that 1D barcodes quietly cause today [3].

Brands get something even better. One code can work harder than a static label ever could: replenishment reminders, recall alerts, a product that stays a live touchpoint no matter where someone bought it.

The Shift Is Already Underway

Brands and retailers are beginning to get real about plans for the Sunrise 2027 deadline.

Tesco just became the first UK supermarket to move an entire product range onto GS1-powered QR codes instead of barcodes, starting with its own-brand sausages.

The GS1 cross-industry group tracking this shift has passed 300 registrants, with roughly 150 people showing up every month just to compare notes.

Rishi Banerjee, who runs SmartLabel at the Consumer Brands Association, put it plainly: retailers will need real time to prepare, and the brands already running clean, structured product data are "already many steps ahead" [1]. The brands waiting on their retailer to force the issue are going to spend 2027 catching up to the brands that started now.

The Real Opportunity in the Shift

56% of companies are already using QR codes to hand consumers real-time product information [4], and every one of those scans is a moment a brand gets a direct line to a shopper who, until that second, was completely anonymous to them.

I think about this every day - for obvious reasons. The code on the package is about to become one of the most valuable pieces of real estate a brand owns, and most teams are still treating it like a barcode upgrade instead of a new front door.

The push might be compliance, but the compounding advantage is everything that code can hold, and the opportunity it can give your brand.

Where's your team on this? If you have any questions, feel free to email me back. We’re partnering closely with GS1 to help brands navigate the switch compliantly and smoothly. Will share more as we continue to learn alongside you!

Talk soon,

Kait

Connect with me on LinkedIn

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Sources

[1] Grocery Dive, "Barcode changes are coming. SmartLabel wants grocers to be ready."

[2] GS1, "Migration to a Single GS1-Compliant 2D Barcode for Retailer Private Label and In-Store Labelled Products."

[3] GS1 US, "GS1 US Research Reveals 2D Barcodes Can Cut Warehouse Costs by Over 60%."

[4] Retail TouchPoints, "From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Maximizing 2D Barcode Impact Ahead of Sunrise 2027."

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