Barcodes could 'disappear' from UK retailers in coming years
A report has claimed that barcodes could vanish from UK shops over the coming years. The report from GS1 UK said that other ways of tracking items could allow consumers to have more insight into what exactly they're buying.
Retail expert Kate Hardcastle has said that this new technology will be key in restoring consumer trust, and could also be the end of the barcode. The barcode was first used in a shop in the UK in the 1970s, and has since been a staple of retail.
But it's possible that the barcode could be replaced by the Smart QR code instead. This could give customers access to information about the product they are buying, and would still "go beep at the till", the Daily Record reports.
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In a survey of UK retail bosses, 41 percent said that they are confident Smart QR codes will replace linear barcodes in just five years time. As for the new technology, trials for the new QR codes are taking place across 48 countries.
The codes are already in wide use in other industries. For example, the codes saw an expansion in their use in restaurants following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now a broad implementation of the codes in retail is planned by 2027. This includes industry giants such as Walmart, PepsiCo, L'Oreal, Amazon, and Proctor and Gamble, who have already committed to the new approach.
Another company which is exploring the new way to monitor products is Morrisons. Solutions architect Sagar Mahendale has claimed that QR codes are now set to become the "'de facto standard for identifying your product at SKU level and also augmenting information about the product."
The main advantage of a QR mode over a barcode is being able to use it to also communicate information about a product. A customer can scan the code to find out more about what they're buying, for example its origin or what allergens it contains.
It could also contain information about a product's carbon footprint. New data from supply chains could include information like where components are sourced or manufactured, as well as what emissions are produced during the process.
Retail guru Kate added: "Consumers' increasing demand for more information and a better experience will create a survival-of-the-fittest dynamic in retail, even among the sector's biggest brands. Those which provide greater transparency by giving consumers honest and easily accessed information will have an undeniable competitive advantage."
Anne Godfrey, CEO of GS1 UK, which collaborated with FT Longitude on the report, underscored the significance of barcoding technology: "The invention of the barcode is one of the great, untold stories in the history of our modern world it is more frequently used than Google.
"The next generation of barcodes, QR codes powered by GS1, will underpin the next retail revolution to give greater power to the consumer. They will connect physical products to the digital world to give businesses the power to provide the detailed product information consumers are increasingly demanding."