Understanding the GS1 DataBar Transition: An NCR White Paper

The GS1 DataBar™ (formerly called Reduced Space Symbology RSS) is the first new bar code symbology introduced worldwide to retail since the introduction of the European Article Number (EAN) format in 1977. As of January 1, 2011, all manufacturer coupons in the United States and Canada will fully transition to the GS1 DataBar symbology. Although the coupon issue is unique to USA and Canada, the general GS1 DataBar date for countries outside of the United States and Canada has been extended to allow for individual country-level compliance as late as January 1, 2014. Coupons are not part of any bar code transition outside of the USA and Canada.

This transition will be highly beneficial for everyone in the industry, including the consumer. But, like any change in technology, it will require some preparation.

Bar code history
In 1949, Joseph Woodland applied for a patent, which was granted in 1952, for the first linear bar code. With the introduction of a technology that could change the face of retail globally, a set of standards would be needed to make the bar code a success. Woodland’s bar code was not the code that eventually became known as the Universal Product Code (UPC), but it created the thought process which eventually led to meetings between the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the National Association of Food Chains in 1969 to investigate this need for uniformity.

These meetings led to the formation of the Uniform Grocery Product Code Council (UGPCC) which first met in 1972. Over the years the council became the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and, after merging with EAN in 2005, fell under the umbrella name of GS1. When relevant, the United States arm of GS1 is referred to as GS1 US and maintains a separate website from that of GS1. The actual bar code administered in North America was always known as the UPC. The most common 12-digit version is still known as UPC-A.

Bar codes and coupons
The introduction of bar codes into retail in 1974 eventually paved the way for today’s scannable coupons, although coupons were never part of the original intention for UPC bar code technology. The coupon bar code didn’t even exist until 1985, when it became the UPC-A Number System 5. (Number System 5 refers to the fact that the UPC-A manufacturer coupon guideline specifies “5” as the leading digit.)

Since coupons were not in the original plan for bar codes, there has been a constant need to modify the system to accommodate the growing adoption of couponing. Because of this, the UPC coupon bar code has evolved a great deal since its humble beginnings.

• 1985 – Original UPC-A-based coupon released.
• 1997 – As more manufacturers applied for IDs, the realization sets in that the UPC-A will run out of digits in the future. A second bar code must now be added to coupons the Extended Coupon Code, implemented in another bar code symbology called Code 128. From 1997 on, coupons carry both UPC-A and Code 128.
• 2005 – From 1997 to 2005, the manufacturer ID portion of the UPC information grew from 6 digits to as many as 10. Couponing again became a victim of the UPC’s success.

Since then, the system has been meticulously managed to avoid issues until a new bar code solution could be introduced. The GS1 DataBar is the latest and greatest evolution of the bar code and coupon system.