The list of challenges that ecommerce businesses face may be long, but knowing how to label your products with the proper identification numbers and barcodes doesn’t have to be one of them.
If you are preparing to sell your products on your website, through major marketplaces, or to retailers, you want to show consumers that you are a credible brand. You can improve your business by becoming knowledgeable about the Global Trade Item Number or GTIN.
What Is a GTIN?
Did you know that you come across GTINs every day on the retail items you commonly see or purchase? The GTIN is the number below the lines and spaces of a barcode. The GTIN uniquely identifies a product when it is scanned at the checkout counter or listed online.
The GTIN was created 多于 50 几年前 when the retail industry came together and agreed that each product should have its own unique identification number that links back to the company that created it. This helped the retail industry increase speed at checkout and manage price changes.
Today the GTIN helps power retail in every channel, both in physical stores and online. And before a product arrives in your online cart or is scanned at checkout, the GTIN provides item identification and visibility throughout all the computerized systems, databases, search results, and physical locations it will pass through before it reaches its final destination.
An example of a UPC-A barcode and the GTIN-12 that is encoded into it
What Is the Difference Between a UPC and a GTIN?
Some websites and marketplace guidelines will refer to both UPCs and GTINs as one and the same. 然而, they are different.
这 统一产品代码, 或者 通用产品代码, is the actual barcode symbol, or the lines and spaces. 这 GTIN is the identification number encoded into the barcode.
A UPC barcode, together with a product’s GTIN, makes it easy for businesses to track a product, work within retailer requirements for point-of-sale readiness, and manage inventory efficiently.
然而, GTINs are increasingly used on their own in online product listings to help form a bridge between a product’s physical presence and its digital identity and to prove product authenticity.
Here are some of the most common GTIN combinations:
- GTIN 12: This is the most common GTIN to assign to your products if you are a brand owner operating out of North America. It is a 12-digit number printed below a UPC-A barcode.
- GTIN 13: This GTIN is most common outside of North America, primarily in Europe. It is a 13-digit number that is printed below an EAN-13 barcode, which stands for European Article Number.
The good news is both the GTIN 12 and the GTIN 13 are interoperable and can be listed on marketplaces or scanned at point-of-sale no matter where your products are sold. 例如, if your product is marked with the GTIN-12 but sold in Europe, you can still mark it with a GTIN-12 and it can still be scanned.
如果您经营一家 Ecwid 商店, you can add product codes such as UPCs or GTINs in your product attributes. 观看下面的视频以获取快速说明.
GTIN 与 SKU 有何不同?
库存单位 (存货单位) 是公司用来在内部识别产品的代码. 它通常由字母和数字组成，并在格式中内置了逻辑，便于内部参考, 使格式高效以供快速内部参考. 每个公司都创建自己的 SKU, 即使他们销售相同的产品.
你可以 specify a product’s SKU on your product pages in your Ecwid store
A GTIN is a unique identification number that is assigned to a product and is linked to the licensee company, giving it a consistent identity as it moves across the supply chain. It can be shared, scanned, and ingested into platforms used by suppliers, distributors, logistics providers, 零售商, 市场, or other supply chain participants. They will index the GTIN and its associated product attributes as part of their onboarding and verification process.
如果您经营一家 Ecwid 商店并希望将 GTIN 添加到您的产品详细信息中, 第一的 添加 GTIN 作为产品属性 在您的商店设置中. 然后你就可以 指定它的值 在产品详情中.
为 Ecwid 商店中的产品指定 GTIN
您从哪里获得 GTIN?
GTIN 由 GS1 颁发, 全球最大的身份识别和供应链标准组织.
如果你是一家公司, 牌, 或位于美国的卖家, 您通常会从 GS1美国.
如果您是非美国品牌, you can access your country’s GS1 member organization through the GS1 global website.
While GS1 US is known as the administrator of the UPC barcode, the organization maintains and advocates for the use of a host of other data standards that support the supply chain. 例如, in addition to standards to identify products, GS1 US advocates for the use of standards to identify locations, synchronize data, and also help support many regulatory requirements for a number of industries including healthcare and the food industry.
GS1 US 与多个行业合作开发最佳实践，以开发足够的供应链, 有效的业务关系, 并为消费者提供有关他们购买的产品的可靠信息.
确保您从 GS1 US 等 GS1 成员组织获得 GTIN
选择其他 GTIN 来源的企业可能没有机会享受 GS1 美国会员资格的全部好处. 企业主可以高枕无忧，因为他们知道自己可以利用未来的商机, 因为许多零售商和市场只接受 GS1 直接签发的 GTIN.
您可以通过加入来确保拥有将您的品牌与产品相关联的 GTIN GS1美国 以两种方式之一:
- 许可 GS1 公司前缀. GS1 公司前缀是单独分配给您的公司的唯一编号，将用作您的 GTIN 的前几位数字. 前缀有不同的容量, 价格取决于您需要创建多少个识别码.
- 许可单个 GS1 US GTIN. 如果您只需要几个 GTIN, 你可以许可个人. 当您获得 GS1 US GTIN 许可时, 您的公司被唯一且排他性地标识为该号码的所有者. 您还可以获得其他 GS1 美国会员福利.
我需要多少个 GTIN?
最重要的是要了解您销售的每种产品的每种变体都需要一个唯一的 GTIN. 例如, 如果你卖一排蜡烛，它们进来了 3 颜色, 你会需要 3 全球贸易项目代码. 如果他们也进来 3 尺码, 你会需要 9 全球贸易项目代码 (3×3=9). 如果他们也进来 3 香味, 你会需要 27 全球贸易项目代码 (3x3 x3=27).
如果您希望频繁添加产品或季节性更改您的分类, 您可能需要考虑使用 GS1 公司前缀并获取一定数量的 GTIN，以支持您当前和近期的产品分类. 您不必一次分配所有 GTIN. 您可以为未来的产品添加储备库存.
然而, 如果你刚刚开始, 只有少数产品, 并且不要预见到近期的产品添加, 单一的 GS1 US GTIN 可能适合您.
您可以使用 GS1 美国条形码估算器 帮助您确定需要创建多少个 GTIN 的工具，然后再决定哪个选项最适合您.
GS1 US Barcode Estimator 工具可帮助您为当前和未来的产品确定合适的条码数量
一旦我有了我的 GTIN, 它如何帮助在我的网站上销售我的产品?
当您为网站列表设置产品目录时, 您的 GTIN 作为属性不仅是一个好主意，而且在某些情况下也是必需的.
大多数网站平台都会为 GTIN 提供一个字段. 即使它在您的网站平台上可能是可选的, 在您的产品页面上包含 GTIN 是最佳做法. 一旦您的产品页面发布, 各种搜索引擎, 像谷歌和必应, 将索引此信息以使潜在客户的未来搜索更加准确.
Google 使用了 GTIN 信息 改善搜索结果 自从 2015 因为每个代码对于它所代表的产品都是唯一的，并且在全球范围内有效. 例如, 在美国创建的产品也可以提供给在法国搜索的客户.
将 GTIN 信息添加到所有产品页面时, 您正在让搜索引擎轻松地在客户搜索中显示您的特定产品, 提高您的销售转化率.
GTIN 如何帮助在市场列表上销售我的产品?
Marketplaces and large omnichannel retailers use the GTIN to uniquely identify, 指数, 并对他们在平台上托管的数百万种产品进行分类，以便他们可以返回准确的产品以响应客户的搜索. 当客户使用他们的搜索引擎时，他们使用 GTIN 来展示准确的产品.
因为 GTIN 是唯一的产品标识号, 它还使他们能够验证列出该项目的公司. 这有助于这些平台支持合法卖家在其平台上的上市，并识别不良行为者或未经授权的卖家.
亚马逊, 例如, 如果发现包含未直接链接到发布该产品的公司的 GTIN，将禁止发布. 他们在卖家指南中明确指出 GTIN 必须直接来自 GS1.
总结一下
最终, 全球贸易项目编号已经为全球商业提供了超过 50 年，并在当今电子商务主导的世界中继续保持相关性. 通过了解合适的渠道获取, 创造, 并使用 GTIN, 企业正在顺利利用全球标准化供应链语言，这是您的产品和公司成功的基础.
(在本出版物中, 字母“UPC”仅用作“通用产品代码”的缩写,’这是一个产品识别系统. 它们不涉及 UPC®, 这是国际管道和机械官员协会的联邦注册认证标志 ('IAPMO') 证明符合 IAPMO 授权的统一管道规范).
