Sunrise 2027 and GS1 barcodes — what the 2D transition means for retailers

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What Sunrise 2027 actually is

For fifty years, the linear barcode on a pack — EAN-13, UPC-A, and related 1D symbols — has done one job at the till: carry a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) so the POS can look up the price and stock record. That model still works. What is changing is that the retail industry has agreed a shared ambition for point-of-sale systems to be able to scan and process 2D barcodes as well.

In the United States and in much global GS1 messaging, that milestone is called Sunrise 2027. In Australia, GS1 Australia often frames the same industry goal as Ambition 2027 or Next Generation Barcodes: retail POS, worldwide, capable of reading approved 2D barcodes by the end of 2027, alongside the linear codes already on pack.

Three clarifications matter for retailers:

1. This is an industry ambition, not a statute. It is not a government rule that every product must carry a 2D symbol by a fixed legal date. Major brands, retailers, and GS1 organisations have aligned on getting POS capability ready so the ecosystem can move together.
2. 2027 is about scanner and software readiness at checkout, not about overnight removal of 1D barcodes from every shelf. Brands are not required to put a 2D code on every SKU by that date — but retailers who cannot read 2D will be behind trading partners who can.
3. You do not need every advanced 2D use case on day one. At minimum, POS must extract the GTIN from a 2D symbol the same way it does from a 1D barcode today. Extra attributes (batch, expiry, serial) come when your processes are ready to use them.

Why 2D barcodes — and why now

A classic EAN/UPC is excellent at identifying what the product is. It cannot carry production data such as batch/lot, expiry / use-by, or a serial number for a single unit. Those details sit on labels, invoices, or back-office systems — if they are captured at all.

2D barcodes (matrix codes) hold more data in less space and include error correction that helps damaged or partially obscured codes still scan. For retail POS, GS1 standards currently recognise three 2D options:

• GS1 DataMatrix (GS1 element string syntax)
• QR Code with GS1 Digital Link URI syntax
• Data Matrix with GS1 Digital Link URI syntax

GS1 Digital Link encodes identifiers in a web-compatible URI. That means the same symbol can support checkout (GTIN for price lookup) and connect a phone or system to online product information — without needing a separate “marketing only” QR that cannot be sold through at the till.

Industry messaging is clear that 1D linear barcodes are not going away soon. During the transition, products that adopt 2D are expected to use dual marking: keep the existing EAN/UPC (or GS1 DataBar) and add an approved 2D symbol. Both symbols must encode the same GTIN. A dual-marked pack fails if the linear code and the 2D code disagree.

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1D EAN/UPC beside a GS1 Digital Link QR — dual marking on pack

What this means at the till

For a retailer, Sunrise / Ambition 2027 is less about redesigning every label yourself and more about whether checkout can accept what suppliers will print.

Hardware. 2D codes need an image-based scanner. Older laser scanners that only read linear bars cannot decode QR or DataMatrix. Many modern imagers already can — but “camera present” is not the same as “POS configured and tested for retail 2D”.

Software. The POS (and any middleware) must:

• Accept scans from approved 2D carriers
• Parse the payload far enough to recover the GTIN for price lookup
• Preferentially ignore or correctly handle extra Application Identifier (AI) data until you choose to act on it (for example expiry for age-of-stock rules)

Consumer QR codes are not automatically checkout codes. A promotional QR that opens a campaign page but does not carry the product GTIN in a GS1-compliant way will not replace the linear barcode at POS. Brands that already print consumer QRs are being encouraged to migrate those to GS1 Digital Link so one symbol can serve both shoppers and the till.

Throughput. GS1 and industry pilots report that scanning 2D symbols with additional data need not slow checkout when systems are set up correctly. The risk is untested hardware, misconfigured firmware, or staff scanning the wrong symbol on a dual-marked pack — not the matrix format itself.

Practical checklist: what retailers should do

Use this as a working list between now and the end of 2027. Adjust depth to your size — a single-store specialty retailer and a multi-banner supermarket will sequence differently, but the gates are the same.

1. Inventory your scanning estate

List every device that must beep at POS: fixed counter scanners, handhelds, self-checkout, mobile POS, and any backup USB wedges.

For each device, confirm with the manufacturer or vendor whether it is an imager capable of 2D, which firmware version you run, and whether it appears on current “2D at POS” readiness lists (GS1 US publishes scanner compliance tables; ask Australian vendors for the same assurance).

Replace or retire lasers that only read 1D if those lanes still need to sell dual-marked goods.

2. Prove GTIN extraction in your POS — not just in a demo app

Ask your POS and scanner vendors for a test plan that includes:

• 2D symbols encoding GTIN only
• 2D symbols encoding GTIN plus sample AIs (batch, expiry)
• Dual-marked samples where linear and 2D share the same GTIN
• Deliberate mismatch samples (to confirm you fail safely)

GS1 publishes sample / test-suite materials for this purpose. Run them on every till type you operate, including offline or degraded network modes if you use them.

3. Decide your “minimum viable 2027” vs later value

By end of 2027 (capability): lanes can sell a dual-marked item by reading either symbol and resolving the same product.

After that (optional value): use encoded expiry for markdown or block sales of expired goods; use batch for recall precision; use serialisation for high-value or regulated lines. Those require process and data-model changes beyond “scan and beep”. Plan them deliberately so you do not block the basic GTIN path.

4. Align private label and supplier conversations

If you own private brand packaging, treat 2D as a packaging and artwork workstream: choose a carrier (often GS1 DataMatrix for dense production data, or QR with Digital Link when consumer engagement matters), keep dual marking until adoption is pervasive, and keep GTINs identical across symbols.

If you are primarily a reseller, ask key suppliers when dual marking will appear on your top movers, and whether they will use Digital Link QR, GS1 DataMatrix, or both across categories. Fresh, short-life, and regulated categories are moving first in several markets — including Australian grocery pilots — so expect uneven arrival by aisle.

5. Train staff and update SOPs

Dual marking means two codes on pack. Tell staff which symbol to prefer if one fails, how to escalate a no-scan, and not to “fix” a promotional QR that was never meant for POS. Update receiving checks so mismatched GTINs between 1D and 2D never reach the floor.

6. Separate regulatory labelling from “scan for more info”

A QR that links to digital content does not replace mandatory on-pack statements required by law (for example country-of-origin rules). Digital Link is complementary, not a shortcut around physical label compliance.

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Retail checklist visual — scanners, POS software, dual-marked pack, staff training

Timeline mindset

Industry guidance describes a multi-year glide path: build capability, dual-mark while scanners catch up, then unlock richer data once POS and processes can use it. Regions will not move in lockstep. Australia is already seeing retailer and brand pilots; globally, GS1 organisations report 2D retail work across dozens of countries.

Treat end of 2027 as the capability deadline for your POS network, not as a single day when every SKU flips format. Start with scanners and software. Use packaging changes when your trading partners and private-label cycles make them cheap. Add batch and expiry workflows when operations can act on the data.

Closing note

Next Experience is already set up to accommodate QR code barcodes at checkout, so retailers on the platform can focus on scanner readiness, dual-marked stock, and the operational use cases that matter for their stores as the industry moves through Sunrise 2027.