Barcodes are set to disappear in favour of modern QR codes.
After more than 50 years of ubiquity, the organisation that oversees the world’s barcodes is preparing to consign them to the bargain bin of history.
GS1, an international non-profit that maintains the global standard for barcodes, says they will be replaced by a new square version capable of storing much more information about products.
Anne Godfrey, chief executive of GS1 UK, said almost half of British retailers have already updated their tills to accommodate the new codes.
‘This has been in the works for some time, but Covid really accelerated it,’ she said. ‘During the pandemic, everyone got used to pointing their phones at QR codes in pubs and restaurants to access the menu.
‘Increasingly, QR codes that bring up bits of information are already appearing on the front of many products.
