# GS1 Digital Link for retail: one code for the till and the phone

> GS1 Digital Link puts the GTIN inside an ordinary URL, so a single QR code can be scanned at the point of sale like a barcode and by a shopper's phone like a web link. GS1's Sunrise 2027 programme targets retail scanners accepting 2D codes by end-2027; until then brands print both symbols.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/ecommerce/gs1-digital-link-for-retail · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, no signup.

---

## One symbol, two readers

The linear EAN/UPC barcode does exactly one job: it tells the till the GTIN. Every other
job (consumer information, traceability, promotions) has historically needed its own
symbol or none. [GS1 Digital Link](/docs/spec/gs1-digital-link-in-qr) collapses this by
encoding the GTIN as path structure inside an ordinary URL:

```
https://id.example.com/01/09520123456788/10/LOT42/17/270901
```

A till that understands Digital Link extracts `01` (GTIN), `10` (batch) and `17` (expiry)
and rings the product up. A shopper's phone opens the same string as a URL and lands on
whatever your resolver serves: product page, [allergen depth](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-ingredients-and-allergens),
[recycling routes](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-sustainability-and-recycling-info). One
symbol, both audiences. That is the entire pitch, and it is a good one: expiry and batch
in the POS scan alone enables markdown automation and sell-by blocking that linear
barcodes cannot do.

This page is about the retail rollout; the payload syntax itself lives on the
[spec page](/docs/spec/gs1-digital-link-in-qr).

## Sunrise 2027, stated precisely

GS1's migration programme (usually called **Sunrise 2027**) is the coordinated industry
target that **retail point-of-sale systems should be able to scan 2D barcodes by the end
of 2027**. Frame it correctly: it is GS1's published programme target for scanner
*capability*, not a regulation, and not a date on which linear barcodes stop working.
Nobody expects EAN symbols to vanish in 2028; grocery infrastructure moves in decades.

What it does mean is that the *capability floor* is moving. Major retailers and scanner
vendors are aligned on accepting 2D at the till, and brands designing artwork with a
5-year life should design for that world.

## The dual-symbol transition

Until the tills in every market you sell in actually read 2D, the pack carries **both
symbols**: the EAN for today's scanners, the Digital Link QR for phones and tomorrow's
scanners. Two rules from the
[label-placement page](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-on-a-product-label) become critical:

- **≥ 2 cm separation** between the symbols, so imagers do not lock onto the wrong one.
- Where possible, different faces of the pack: barcode stays in its conventional
  position, QR goes with the consumer-facing content.

Verify with your retailers before dropping the linear symbol: retailer readiness, not
GS1's target date, is the actual gate.

## Resolver strategy

The URL's domain is a long-term commitment. Options:

| Resolver | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Your own domain (`id.yourbrand.com`) | Full control, full [permanence obligation](/docs/ecommerce/qr-codes-on-product-packaging) |
| GS1's resolver | Neutral infrastructure; you configure link targets per GTIN |
| Retailer-specific | Avoid, the pack outlives any single retail relationship |

Whichever you choose, structure it so the identifier is the stable part and the
destinations are configuration: the same code should serve a consumer page today, a
[Digital Product Passport](/docs/ecommerce/eu-digital-product-passport) in 2028, and a
recall notice on a bad day, without touching artwork. Generate per-batch or
[per-unit codes](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-serialized-products) once serialised data
enters the path, and [verify every artwork variant decodes](/validate) before release.

## FAQ

### What is Sunrise 2027?
GS1's coordinated programme targeting retail point-of-sale scanners being able to read 2D barcodes, including QR codes with Digital Link, by the end of 2027. It is an industry capability target, not a regulation or a switch-off date for linear barcodes.

### Can a QR code replace the barcode on my product now?
Not yet in general retail, only where your specific retailers confirm 2D-capable tills. Until then print both symbols, at least 2 cm apart, with the EAN in its conventional position.

### What does a GS1 Digital Link QR contain?
An ordinary URL whose path carries GS1 identifiers: GTIN, and optionally batch, expiry and serial. Tills parse the identifiers; phones follow the URL to whatever page your resolver serves for that product.

### Whose domain should the Digital Link use?
Either your own subdomain, accepting that it must stay alive for the product's life, or GS1's resolver infrastructure. Never a retailer's domain or a third-party shortener, the pack outlives both relationships.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/validate
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