New resources to prepare for the transition
On 30 June 2026, the Consumer Goods Forum announced two voluntary guides related to QR code deployment, in collaboration with GS1. They address the management of GS1 identifiers, including product GTINs, and their continuity when businesses change.
The announcement highlights a practical point: adding a square to a box is not enough to organise product data. A project intended for retail distribution also needs defined identifiers, arrangements for managing them and systems that will read them.
2027: a checkout scanning goal
GS1’s international ambition is for checkouts to be able to read and process the relevant 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. This does not mean that every product must lose its EAN barcode by that date.
GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg states that suppliers can continue using EAN-13 after 2027. GS1’s international guideline also describes a period when linear and 2D barcodes coexist while checkout systems become ready.
Before changing packaging for a product sold in shops, confirm the process with your partners. The target date does not prove that a particular checkout can already use your code.
An information link and a GS1 code: two different needs
A communication QR code can simply open a page on your website: care advice, instructions or a product presentation. Its role is to help customers find that information.
A QR code with GS1 Digital Link uses an address structured according to the GS1 standard, which can notably represent the GTIN, the identifier of the trade item. Its use at checkout also depends on the encoded content, printing and configuration of the systems involved.
A successful phone scan therefore does not, on its own, validate checkout use. The GS1 guideline distinguishes requirements for syntax, quality and barcode placement on packaging.
Four decisions before redesigning a label
Here are our preparation points for a manufacturer or small brand:
- Define the need: open a product page, identify the product at checkout, or prepare for both uses.
- Confirm the product identifiers and data with the people responsible for managing them.
- Have the layout reviewed by the printer and, for checkout use, by distribution and solution partners.
- Plan who will maintain pages, links and languages after the product goes on sale.
For a GS1 project, use the specifications and checks appropriate to your supply chain. A readable image file or an attractive screen preview does not replace that validation.
Example: a care information page for a bag
Fictional example: a workshop sells a fabric bag and wants to share care advice. It already has a page for that product reference. A QR code labelled “View care advice” can lead to that page, with a readable web address on the label.
The destination can be updated while keeping the same address. With a static QR code, however, the encoded address remains fixed: if it changes, you need to maintain a redirect on the website or replace the printed QR code.
This information QR code is not presented as the bag’s checkout identification code. If that second use is needed, it requires the corresponding project and checks.
What you can prepare with Qurl
To open an existing product page, the Qurl generator provides a static QR code in PNG, SVG or PDF. You choose the link and prepare the file for your layout.
Qurl does not provide GTINs, validate GS1 Digital Link syntax or certify industrial barcode quality or checkout acceptance. A link encoded with Qurl does not become compliant with a commercial standard merely because it can be read.
For your information QR code, keep a clear instruction, a fallback address and the margin around the code. Tests on the printed material still need to be arranged with your printer; no packaging print run was tested for this article.
Create a QR code for a product page · Prepare the QR code for printing