The Sunrise 2027 deadline is closer than most companies realize. Here’s what every brand, retailer, and supply chain professional needs to understand about the standard reshaping product identification.
Walk through any grocery aisle today and you may notice something changing on packaging. The simple barcode that has anchored retail operations since the 1970s is being joined — and in many cases, replaced — by a QR code. This is not an ordinary QR codes simply pointing to a web page but a specially formatted symbol that can be read by both consumes on their mobile devices and by point-of-sale scanners in stores.
This shift is not a branding trend. It’s a globally coordinated standards change with a hard compliance date: Sunrise 2027. By that point, every point-of-sale system worldwide is expected to be capable of reading 2D barcodes, including QR codes carrying a GS1 Digital Link.
Consider what this transition actually touches inside your organization. It is not solely a packaging design update. Implementing GS1 Digital Link correctly requires alignment across IT systems, marketing, operations, legal (for regulated product attributes), and retail partnerships. Most companies discover this scope problem only after they’ve already briefed their design agency. Although there are GS1 Solution Partners that provide Digital LInk QR Codes, they are only a single element of the process and your company will always ultimately be responsible for compliant scanning by retailers and consumers.
The technical foundation — explained plainly
A GS1 Digital Link URI follows a structured format. At its core it contains:
- A domain controlled by the brand or a GS1-accredited resolver
- The GS1 Application Identifier for the product category (e.g., GTIN, batch number, serial number)
- Optional qualifiers for supply chain attributes — expiry date, lot number, country of origin
- Query string parameters that enable context-sensitive resolution
When a system scans the resulting QR code, it does not retrieve a single webpage. It queries a resolver — either GS1’s own or a brand-operated one — which routes the request to the appropriate data endpoint based on who is scanning, from where, and for what purpose. A logistics scanner receives EPCIS event data. A consumer’s phone receives a product information page.
“The same physical symbol on the package becomes a different tool depending on who is holding the scanner.”
Who needs to understand this standard
GS1 Digital Link is not a concern for IT departments alone, nor is it purely a packaging manager’s problem. The standard operates at the intersection of several business functions, and misalignment between any one of them creates real risk.
IT and systems architects
You will need to understand URI syntax, resolver architecture, linkset JSON structure, and how GS1 Digital Link integrates with existing PIM, ERP, and EPCIS systems — whether you build in-house or deploy a third-party solution.
Marketing and brand teams
The QR code on your packaging is no longer just a promotional URL. It carries supply chain identity data. Understanding what can and cannot be encoded, and how consumer-facing links are managed alongside operational ones, is now a brand governance question.
Operations and supply chain
Serialization, batch tracking, and lot-level data all have standardized Application Identifier structures within GS1 Digital Link. Getting these right from the start prevents costly re-encoding as regulatory requirements evolve.
Retail and category management
Understanding what your retail partners require at the point of sale, and what data will be exchanged at scan time, is essential for managing the transition without operational disruption.
Solution-agnostic by design
One of the persistent challenges in preparing for GS1 Digital Link is that most available guidance comes from technology vendors with a product to sell. The standard itself is implementation-neutral — it does not prescribe a particular resolver, software platform, or managed service.
Understanding the standard clearly, before engaging vendors, puts your organization in a fundamentally stronger negotiating and decision-making position. You can evaluate proposals against a firm understanding of what is required by the standard versus what is an optional product feature.
Our course is built to be entirely solution agnostic. Whether your organization is partnering with a GS1 solution provider, evaluating third-party platforms, or building resolver infrastructure in-house, the foundational knowledge is the same — and it’s what you need first.
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