Standardized Codes Give Retail Supply Chain Partners Product Data Consistency
EWING, NJ (June 30, 2020)—GS1 US now manages and maintains the GS1 US Color and Size Codes, a database that allows suppliers, manufacturers and retailers to codify product color and size, enabling more consistent and efficient data exchange in retail. Formerly managed by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the color and size codes are available electronically for either a $250 one-time purchase from GS1 US or via three GS1 US Solution Partners: OpenText, InterTrade and SPS Commerce.
The codes have been used in retail systems for more than three decades to help industry consistently identify and classify products by size and color. The codes also provide a common language for product color and size identification for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a process that allows companies to exchange business information such as orders and invoices electronically. Using these standardized codes, retailers, brands and manufacturers can reduce errors due to manual data entry, cut down on new item setup times and allow for automated sales analysis by size and color, which helps guide merchandise assortment planning.
“The color and size codes are a natural fit with the host of other resources that GS1 US provides to members to ensure greater efficiency in inventory management processes,” said Michelle Covey, vice president of partnerships, GS1 US. “Additionally, by partnering with GS1 US Solution Partners, we can extend the value of the codes to be more widely accessible in real time, adding to product data accuracy and boosting trading partner efficiency.”
Now that the codes have been transitioned from NRF, GS1 US will continue to work with the retail community through the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative to keep the codes updated and in line with current consumer-driven trends affecting the retail industry. The GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative is a collaborative industry group that works to develop resources and guidelines based on GS1 Standards to solve supply chain challenges.
For more information about the GS1 US Color and Size Codes, please visit www.gs1us.org/color-size-codes. For more information about the GS1 US Solution Partner program, please visit www.gs1us.org/what-we-do/partners.
About GS1 US
GS1 US®, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth, while also enabling regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-based RFID, data synchronization and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). www.gs1us.org