For many companies, following GS1 standards means ensuring accuracy, efficiency and transparency from supply chains through to end consumers. It also ensures brands hold themselves to a high standard, allows for cross-system implementation and enables brands that don’t have a direct relationship to connect.
As brands ensure they’re in line with these standards, one essential element is a GS1 Digital Link.
Here’s a look at how a GS1 Digital Link benefits brands and the possibilities it opens up.
How Does a GS1 Digital Link Work?
A GS1 Digital Link links a product's identifiers to the web. It allows for streamlined, seamless access and sharing of information from business to business and business to consumer.
GS1 refers to these links as “URIs” (Uniform Resource Identifiers). They encompass both URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) and URNs (Uniform Resource Names).
The URI will include different “values” made up of letters and numbers that represent different information — so tracking everything, including weight, dates, pricing and more, is accessible and simple.
For example, a GS1 Digital Link may look something like:
http://example.com/key_1/value_1/key_2/value_2/key_n/value_n
Benefits of a GS1 Digital Link
The URI structure holds information about an object. Typically, that information consists of identifiers and some product information. Not every piece of product information is stored as part of the URI and instead can be accessed via resolvers and shared Product Information Systems.
Because the URL is globally standardized, businesses and consumers from the supply chain through to post-sale can interpret it.
When linked with Blue Bite's connected products platform, a POS system or an inventory management system, a multitude of information becomes accessible to other brands and consumers alike.
Blue Bite and GS1
The Blue Bite Connected Products platform supports GS1 by using URL parameters to find the associated digital object in Object Manager.
Not only does this ensure that you can work with GS1 standards, it also means you can use the information from the URI as dynamic content in the updated experience, giving you even more ability to offer personalized mobile experiences at scale.
Easily Identify a Product in a Tracking System
Because the GS1 link allows brands to monitor everything they could want to know about a product — like location, product specs and more — it’s easy for brands to track granular elements on an item level.
Especially when linked with a connected products platform like those powered by Blue Bite, this information becomes easily scannable and accessible. With a simple scan or tap on a mobile phone or another device, all the information is available to a manufacturer, warehouse, retail store or consumer.
Instant, Complete Information with a Scan
The GS1 Digital Link acts as a unique key that holds all the relevant information necessary.
Whether it’s…
- Tracking, tracing and transparency on key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Sensitive healthcare information
- Product Specs: Batch numbers, dates, weight, height, etc.
… or other information, it can all be consolidated into one place with a GS1 Digital Link.
There are near-limitless opportunities for the attributes a brand can set up with a GS1 Digital Link. Whether it’s a few dozen or a few thousand attributes, it’s possible.
With a GS1 Digital Link, a scanner with the full application identifier spec will know everything it could possibly need to know about a particular object — without needing to hit some kind of application programming interface.
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