GS1 US has expanded its product identification offering for small and micro businesses with the introduction of a single GS1 US Global Trade Item Number. The new single identifier will provide a low-cost option to uniquely identify products and streamline the process for getting items ready for sale across retail and e-commerce channels.

A GTIN is the unique product identifier encoded into a U.P.C. barcode that is widely accepted by most retail systems. Businesses can now create a single GTIN, manage related product data and share the information with trading partners using GS1 US Data Hub Product. Additionally, a business that licenses an individual GTIN will automatically be included in the GS1 Global Registry, a database that many retailers and online marketplaces use to verify product identification and confirm product authenticity. The single GTIN offering was created to support the needs of U.S.-based small businesses that are increasingly using e-commerce to sell their products as consumer purchasing activity rapidly shifts online.

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of small businesses needing to identify their products to sell online,” said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO, GS1 US. “We want to support these small brands on their journey and provide them with an authentic GTIN that will not only be accepted by a variety of retailers and online marketplaces globally, but also make it easier for consumers to find and buy their products.”

About GS1 US 

GS1 US, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth, while also enabling regulatory compliance.