QR Code creation powered by GS1 Digital Link
Create a QR Code powered by GS1 Digital Link and provide access to unlimited information about your product.
Are you ready to take your product into the next generation of digital information with QR codes powered by GS1 Digital Link?
This online platform allows you to generate QR Code symbols using GS1 Digital Link, giving your products a powerful digital identity. These smart codes don’t just contain the unique barcode (GTIN) — they also link to a wealth of additional information, including batch or lot number, weight, country of origin, ingredients, allergens, sustainability and recycling details, certifications, awards, user manuals, photos, and promotional videos. All the information your customers and partners need is just one scan away. And with full compatibility for scanning at POS checkouts, these QR codes seamlessly combine consumer engagement with operational efficiency.
With this new service, the brand owner, producer, or manufacturer can record all the information they want about their product and create a unique, flexible QR Code symbol using GS1 Digital Link.
At the same time, a unique web page is automatically generated for each product, complete with a dedicated URL. Accessible with a single scan of the QR code, this page displays all the product information the brand owner has chosen to share.
The QR Code powered by GS1 Digital Link acts as a digital extension of the product’s packaging, saving valuable physical space. It can be scanned at the POS checkout provided the retailer has the necessary infrastructure or by consumers, giving them instant access to all the information they need to make confident, informed purchasing decisions tailored to their needs.
It also supports alignment with emerging legislative and regulatory trends that promote sustainability and digital transformation, helping businesses stay ahead of evolving data requirements such as e-labels for wine products in the EU, the Digital Product Passport (DPP), and more.
At the same time, it enables better data sharing across every point of the supply chain, helping businesses achieve transparency, traceability, and reduced waste of fresh products. It also allows them to improve their operations in multiple ways and deliver new shopping experiences to consumers.
Did you know…
Today, and until the full transition is completed, it is recommended that the traditional linear barcode remains on the packaging alongside the QR Code with GS1 Digital Link
The platform allows you to easily enter your product information, then generates a QR Code with GS1 Digital Link and automatically creates a web page containing all the product details, along with a unique URL.
Scan or click here!
What is a QR Code with GS1 Digital Link?
The GS1 Digital Link standard is embedded in a traditional QR Code and effectively extends a product’s packaging by enabling instant access to unlimited product information with a single scan offering much more than just simple links to websites.
It is a two-dimensional barcode (2D) designed to allow the product code (GTIN) and additional data encoded on the label (such as batch number, expiration date, etc.) to be read directly by a barcode scanner. At the same time, it can link to online information when scanned with a smartphone camera or a specialized app. This enables redirection to various services using different types of links, turning digital services and applications into gateways to an unlimited range of resources that support both B2B and B2C operations.
The industry’s vision: Enabling QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link at every point of sale
As part of a global industry initiative, the transition from traditional barcodes to 2D barcodes at retail points of sale is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The goal is for every product to carry a single, standardized 2D barcode that can be used both at the point of sale and to provide access to digital content.
Today, and until the full transition is completed, it is recommended that the standard linear barcode remains on the packaging alongside the QR Code with GS1 Digital Link.
In the meantime, retailers are already preparing their systems to read both traditional barcodes and QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link, ensuring a smooth transition. At the same time, all businesses should evaluate their internal technologies and processes to fully leverage the benefits of QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link.
Service for generating QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link (video)
These new QR Codes, based on GS1 standards, can tell the “story” of a product,where it comes from, whether it contains allergens, if it’s organic, how it can be recycled, and even what its environmental footprint is. With reliable information easily accessible via smartphone, they connect consumers to products and create a new level of transparency, offering significant benefits for businesses, regulators, and consumers alike.
Benefits of using QR Codes with GS1 Digital Link and the digital label
(digital labelling)
- Safer food: Facilitates access to regulatory information, detailed advice on allergies, and dates such as "Best before" or "Use by," allowing expired food to be discarded at checkout and those nearing expiration to be sold at discounted prices, leading to a reduction in food waste. With access to this data, business partners can improve the management of their inventory.
- Traceability: Improves the transparency and efficiency of supply chains and simplifies traceability, recall, and return processes by providing reliable information about the product and its history.
- Enhanced consumer interaction: They can be linked to interactive content, educational videos, or augmented reality experiences that enhance the consumer's engagement with the product and the brand.
- Economic efficiency: Implementing the GS1 Digital Link is relatively inexpensive compared to printing extensive information on packaging. It also reduces the need for additional printed materials, which can be costly and environmentally unfriendly.
- Sustainability Information: With the growing demand from consumers to understand the environmental impact of products, QR codes using the GS1 Digital Link can provide details such as the product’s origin, ingredients, carbon footprint, and instructions for recycling or reusing packaging.
- Convenience: Consumers can quickly and easily access information simply by scanning the barcode with their smartphones.
- Informed choices: With information no longer limited by packaging space, QR codes using the GS1 Digital Link can enhance the consumer experience by allowing brands to share both essential and additional content such as educational videos, tips, recipes, usage instructions, nutritional information, and certifications.
- Dynamic updates: The information accessed through QR codes with GS1 Digital Link can be continuously updated by the brand owner in real time, without the need to change the QR code on the packaging. This means that any changes to product information—such as new certifications, updated usage instructions, or new promotions—can be shared immediately without the need to produce new packaging.
- Space efficiency: Physical packaging often has limited space. QR codes with GS1 Digital Link allow manufacturers to provide extensive and structured information using minimal physical space, which is especially useful for products with complex information requirements.
- Next-generation POS: And they still scan normally at the checkout!
Pilot project: Kerkini Farm invests in new technology for the benefit of its customers!
Farma Kerkini, a member of GS1 Association-Greece, is a vertically integrated facility specializing in the breeding and processing of buffalo meat in Greece. Committed to innovation and transparency, the company aims to provide comprehensive information about each of its products to both customers and consumers. With the support and guidance of GS1 Association-Greece, Farma Kerkini has adopted the GS1 Digital Link standard. Starting in September 2025, its product packaging will feature, alongside the traditional linear barcode, a QR Code powered by GS1 Digital Link, offering access to detailed information on ingredients, packaging, certifications, and other valuable product data.
Important!
Today, and until the full transition is completed, it is recommended that the traditional linear barcode remains on the packaging alongside the QR Code with GS1 Digital Link.
A story about GS1 standards: efficiency, trust, and safety in action.
An interactive story that shows how GS1 standards can help businesses across the entire supply chain.
