‘Digital Watermarking’ Partnership Launches, Making Product Scanning Faster And Easier

Digimarc Corp. and GS1 US announced collaborative efforts to speed the industry adoption of watermark barcode technology.

Because it is invisible to consumers in ordinary use, Digimarc's barcode technology can be applied across all surfaces of a product package, which significantly increases the speed of scanning at retail checkout. Retailers benefit from lower costs through greater efficiency, while consumers enjoy a faster checkout experience and the ability to scan Digimarc-enhanced packages with their smartphones to obtain additional product information, pre and post purchase.
Because it is invisible to consumers in ordinary use, Digimarc's barcode technology can be applied across all surfaces of a product package, which significantly increases the speed of scanning at retail checkout. Retailers benefit from lower costs through greater efficiency, while consumers enjoy a faster checkout experience and the ability to scan Digimarc-enhanced packages with their smartphones to obtain additional product information, pre and post purchase.

Digimarc Corp. and GS1 US announced collaborative efforts to speed the industry adoption of watermark barcode technology. The technology delivers faster check out, more efficient store operations to retailers, and richer consumer information to brand owners and consumers.

GS1 maintains the global standards for barcodes. GS1 US will provide education, training and access to services for its 300,000 member businesses to foster the adoption of Digimarc's barcode technology.

"Consumer demand and the advancing pace of technology has created an unprecedented need for accurate and easily accessible product information," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US.

Because it is invisible to consumers in ordinary use, Digimarc's barcode technology can be applied across all surfaces of a product package, which significantly increases the speed of scanning at retail checkout. Retailers benefit from lower costs through greater efficiency, while consumers enjoy a faster checkout experience and the ability to scan Digimarc-enhanced packages with their smartphones to obtain additional product information, pre and post purchase.

Combining the information standards and industry reach of GS1 US and Digimarc's technological breakthroughs, the new barcode will deliver:

  • brand-certified, accurate product information
  • additional content allowing contextual value-added service opportunities
  • valuable pre- and post-purchase experiences to benefit the consumer and the brand

As online commerce continues to grow, consumers seek more detailed information to guide purchase decisions and effective use. Additionally, retailers and their suppliers across all sectors will gain a critical communication path to, and insights about, the consumers that use their products.

Editors Insight: Watermark barcodes are not new. What makes this technology more viable today is the pervasiveness of smartphones. Smartphones can scan watermark barcodes and allow shoppers to finalize purchases without going to a checkout stand. According to Digimarc, the watermark barcode is much easier to position against a scanner than 2D barcodes.

Don’t discount the aesthetic implications of an invisible barcode. Creative designers will certainly be able to make packages more enticing when there’s no UPC symbol on the package.

Digimarc broke the Guinness World Record for two people scanning 50 barcoded items at the 2014 National Retail Federation Convention with a time of 50 seconds, beating the prior one-minute-15-seconds. (View the video:  http://blog.southeasternproducts.com/blog/bid/373569/Is-Digital-Watermarking-the-Solution-to-Barcode-Woes)

The partnership with GS1 US could hasten the application of watermark barcodes, to the benefit of the supply chain. 1-13-2015 By Elliot Maras

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