Michelle Covey is here on my show today. She is the Vice President of Innovation at GS1US, where she overseas delivery of programs and services designed to support efficient and accurate GS1 standards implementation for companies of all sizes.

When you are a manufacturer or a retailer, you need an authentic way to identify your products if you want to sell them in stores or major online marketplaces. I'm here today to talk to Michelle a little bit about that.

Here are some GS1 Resources for you to learn more about the GS1 Standards:

• GEPIR (look up GTINs) - https://www.gs1us.org/tools/gs1-company-database-gepir
• Homepage: www.gs1us.org
• Small Business Hub: https://www.gs1us.org/small-business
• AI Whitepaper: https://www.gs1us.org/articles/generative-ai-in-the-supply-chain

Where can an entrepreneur find specific and easy step-by-step instructions on how to join GS 1?

https://www.gs1us.org/upcs-barcodes-prefixes/how-to-get-a-upc-barcode From GS1 standpoint, what is the primary benefit to opening my own GS1 account (as a small business owner) versus just buying one as needed, from an e-commerce entity (Amazon, Shopify, etc.), as I go?

GS1 identifiers (like GTINs) are globally-accepted identification numbers, and are different from the internal numbering systems that Shopify or Amazon use (Amazon’s is called an ASIN, for example, and can be confused with GTIN). Each are important to indexing a product and making sure it is able to be discovered on each platform. It benefits a small business owner to open a GS1 account because they can ensure they meet a variety of retailer requirements and sell globally.Why GS1 US?

GS1 identifiers (like GTINs) are globally-accepted identification numbers, and are different from the internal numbering systems that Shopify or Amazon use (Amazon’s is called an ASIN, for example, and can be confused with GTIN). Each are important to indexing a product and making sure it is able to be discovered on each platform. It benefits a small business owner to open a GS1 account because they can ensure they meet a variety of retailer requirements and sell globally.Why can't I just bypass barcodes and just use these new AI tools that give me an artistic and generative QR code?

Even though GS1 Standards are 100% voluntary to use, GS1 barcodes are recognized by the largest retailers in the world – so if you want to sell and be recognized in commerce in a legit fashion, you should use barcodes from GS1 US. Plus, those AI ones won’t be recognized when they’re scanned at POS/won’t be recognized in the global supply chain.Where can I reach the GS1 small business liaison to help me started?

Start at our website gs1us.org, call us at 937.435.3870 or email us at info@gs1us.org.What are some fresh and innovative ways to use GS1 as a small business?

If you want to sell and be looked at as a secure and safe operation, you should to leverage GS1 Standards. The standards are the backbone of commerce and responsible for tracking and tracing goods throughout the supply chain.

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