When it comes to barcodes, it has completely changed the nature of business throughout the entire world. With the help of barcodes, online shopping has reached a rapid speed in the recent years. They enable different companies to keep a track of every item being sold and manage valuable possessions in the smartest way possible.
When you are planning to sell a product online, the first thing that you need to see is whether there are barcodes after the product has been made, the packaging has properly been designed and the retailers where the product will be distributed. This is the time when the business owner may find a surprise message – “Your product cannot be sold without a valid UPC or EAN barcode.”
After this, the product will get referred to a renowned organization known as GSI which is the global distributor and regulator of barcode numbers all over the world. They are the representatives that take the responsibility of distributing exclusive 12 or 13 digit numbers. These numbers can be changed into images and then linked to particular products so that they can be scanned properly at the retail stores. This is actually done in order to boost shopping experience for the purchasers as well as the sellers. Here an important question may arise in your mind, “Can I not create barcode numbers on my own?” Regretfully, you cannot do so. This is due to the fact that each product needs to have a unique number and so, if business owners were given the opportunity to create their own barcodes, there is every possibility of duplication taking place. Since most individuals and business owners obtain barcodes through GSI, others may get it from “barcodes resellers.”
Each country has their own division of GSI that provides EAN, UPC, EAN-8 and various kinds of barcodes. You may find the names of reputed barcodes South Africa companies online that offers UPC and EAN codes. UPC numbers consist of 12 digits which are long and have come from USA. When the remaining world began using barcode systems, there was an extra digit added to UPC codes which led to billions of additional combinations with the new EAN numbers of 13 digits. Barcodes has become consistent all through the world and as such, the numbers from any GS1 or barcode reseller can be used in any country all over the world. Resellers often sell auxiliary barcode services like ISBN barcodes and ISSN barcodes. While the former is used in case of books, the latter may be used for newspapers and magazines.
After you purchase barcode numbers, the next thing you need to do is either add images of your barcode to product packages or get labels printed which will be stuck on your products. Lastly, you will have to take your products sample to the retailers and scan them to get link of your product’s information which include – name, description, size, and price along with barcodes. Although it may seem to be a daunting task, mostly barcodes South Africa companies will guide you in every step throughout the process.