GTIN Allocation rules have changed

For years, businesses across industry and around the world have applied standardised rules to make well-informed decisions about product identification, using GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs). Over time, however, the GTIN Allocation Rules have become difficult to work with, frustrating to use and full of ambiguity. This has resulted in a growing lack of industry compliance and unnecessary added costs.

But resolution is at hand: the existing GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) Allocation Rules have been replaced by a new, simplified GTIN Management Standard. The change will make it easier for companies in the retail industry to make decisions, manage GTINs, save time and money, and set the foundation for omnichannel commerce.

The new GS1 GTIN Management Standard helps address these issues. Organised around a set of clear business principles and presented in an easy-to-understand format, the standard is simpler for businesses to comply with, and easier to share and explain.

At the heart of the new standard are 10 GTIN rules, simplified from 46 former rules.

The J.M. Smucker Company, a leading global food manufacturer, recently applied the new GTIN management rules when evaluating the identification changes needed for 125 of its products.

“It made it easier to make clear decisions and communicate these decisions across the organisation — saving the company time and money,” said Lori Bigler, director, Industry Standards at The J.M. Smucker Company. “Using the new rules, we completed the evaluation of all 125 products in minutes instead of days.”

The clarity and consistency of the new standard is particularly critical to companies supporting omnichannel commerce.

Maria Palazzolo, GS1 Australia’s CEO, said, “The GTIN rules have a new look and feel, but the direction that they give to trading partners on when a GTIN must change remain basically unchanged. The business-centric language, ‘guiding principles’ and brand-compliant images resonate across retail subsectors and enable industry to make decisions on GTIN changes confidently, consistently and more quickly.”

For more information about the new GTIN Management Standard, please contact Sue Schmid, head of Customer Relations & Standards Office, at sue.schmid@gsa1u.org or visit www.gs1.org/gtinrules.

Originally published here.