Data Communication Solutions (DCS) traveled to San Antonio, Texas last week to attend the GS1 Connect 2014 conference. GS1 is a non-profit, international organization that develops and maintains standards for supply and demand chains across multiple sectors to support trading partners, industry organizations, governments and technology providers, and responds to their business needs through the adoption and implementation of global standards. There are over six billion transactions that occur daily using GS1 standards.
After attending numerous classes, we found the following topics most important for you to know as a GS1 user:
- Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) – Many retailers require suppliers to provide accurate and reliable GTIN codes for each item. We heard from several merchants, such as Sears Holding, Wakefern, and Super Valu, that accurate and reliable data is essential for consumer accuracy. For example, changes to weight and dimension (package information) should trigger a new GTIN number but often do not. GS1 guidelines give a variance of 20% on GTIN attributes yet many customers require less than 7%. If you create GTIN numbers make sure that a new 14 digit number is assigned to most attribute changes.
- Visibility in Transport & Logistics: To optimize management of complex, global supply chains, companies need to know exactly where their shipments are, at any moment. DCS can help you find out how companies are using the GS1 System to take their supply chain visibility to the next level.
- Omni-Channel – The key to an omni-channel experience is providing an immersive, superior customer experience regardless of brand platform and customer experience, is seamlessly aligned – everything from brick and mortar stores, e-commerce sites and packaging to brand websites, mobile apps and social networks. Be sure to ask your DCS EDI Specialist how GS1 is guiding the industry through this positive supply chain transformation.
Contact DCS today to learn more about how these topics can benefit you!
Which issues are you running into with these topics?