A GS1 GTIN™ is the number you see under the barcode of a product. As a product identifier, it is unique, global and verifiable within the GS1 system. To be useful and helpful, product identifiers must be unique, verifiable and global — and that is exactly what a GS1 GTIN™ is. Your product’s GS1 GTIN™ will be different from the billions of other GS1 GTIN™ already issued to other products, and it will be recognised by all major retailers, supermarkets and marketplaces around the world. The GS1 GTIN™ is sometimes known as “U.P.C”, “EAN” or barcode. The letters G-T-I-N originally stood for Global Trade Item Number. The various digits of a GS1 GTIN™ indicate the GS1 Member Organisation from which the GS1 GTIN™ was licensed, the entity (often: the manufacturer) which applied the number to the item, the item number, and a check digit to verify the GS1 GTIN’s structure. GS1 GTINs™ are unique in the GS1 system and are searchable in Verified by GS1 (www.gs1za.org/solutions/verified/), the publicly accessible GS1 global database that is used and trusted by many marketplaces around the world to verify the identity of the product you want to sell. Only a GS1 Member Organisation can provide you with a GS1 GTIN™ and guarantee their uniqueness within the GS1 system. • Want to know more about GS1 GTIN™? Watch our YouTube video “What is GTIN™” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8PBEkyRyQ8).

A product identifier is just what it sounds like: it’s a way to clearly identify a product for sale. Product identifiers are usually a series of numbers, or letters and numbers. For product identifiers to be useful and helpful in today’s world, they must be unique, and they must be verifiable, everywhere in the world, forever, and no matter whether the item is for sale online or in physical stores. And that is exactly what the GS1 GTIN™ offers: your GS1 GTIN™ will be different to the billions of GS1 GTIN™ we’ve already issued, recognised by all major retailers, supermarkets and marketplaces around the world and they will be verifiable thanks to Verified by GS1, our global database.

GS1 GTINs™ are only available from GS1. Only GS1 can provide you with a GS1 GTIN™ for your product. Only GS1 guarantee that a GS1 GTIN™ is unique and verifiable in the GS1 system, everywhere in the world, forever. You must join a local GS1 Member Organisation to get a GS1 GTIN™. • Find your local GS1 local Organisation here: gs1zace.gs1za.org/

Many marketplaces (and retailers) require a GS1 GTIN™ to sell products online. If you are a product’s brand owner or manufacturer, many marketplaces and retailers will require you to get a GS1 GTIN™ from GS1. If you are reselling or distributing a product, many marketplaces and retailers will require you to provide that product’s existing GS1 GTIN™. To do that, you may need to contact the product’s brand owner or manufacturer and ask them. Marketplaces rely on GS1 GTIN™ to manage their product catalogues, enrich product data and detect counterfeit products. Marketplaces have found that requiring GS1 GTINs™ ultimately enhances the customer experience and drives traffic to your products. The GS1 GTIN™ is unique and it is searchable in Verified by GS1 (https://gs1za.org/solutions/verified/), the publicly accessible GS1 global database that is used and trusted by many marketplaces around the world to verify the identity of the product you want to sell. • If a marketplace or retailer is asking you to indicate a GS1 GTIN™, contact your local GS1 Member Organisation: https://gs1zace.gs1za.org/.

Only a GS1 GTIN™ is unique and verifiable in the GS1 system, everywhere in the world, forever. The GS1 GTINs™ you get from GS1 are unique within the GS1 system that is used by two million companies around the world. GS1 will never issue the same GS1 GTIN™ twice. GS1 also does not allow the transfer or (re)sale of GS1 GTINs™. GS1 GTINs™ are included in our GS1 database, which is accessible to everyone through Verified by GS1 (https://gs1za.org/solutions/verified/). Many marketplaces use this database to check if your GS1 GTIN™ is linked to your company and/or product. Numbers sold by other parties (parties not listed on our GS1 website) are • either not numbers in the GS1 System, or • numbers originally issued by GS1 to a specific party that have been transferred or (re)sold. These numbers will either not be in our verifiable database or, if they have been transferred or (re)sold against GS1 guidelines, they will appear together with the data of the original party that licensed the number and not with your data. The numbers sold by other parties sometimes can overlap with GS1 numbers, which can create confusion. GS1 cannot be held responsible if marketplaces do not accept these numbers. Sometimes organisations outside GS1 use our logo and brand without authorisation to sell their numbers. The only way to be sure you are getting a GS1 GTIN™ is to go through our GS1.org website to find your local GS1 Member Organisation. Only a licensed GS1 Member Organisation can provide you with GS1 GTINs™ and guarantee their uniqueness in the GS1 database. • Find your local GS1 Member Organisation’s office by visiting our web page: https://gs1zace.gs1za.org/

A GS1 GTIN™ is helpful for both sellers and for marketplaces. Using GS1 GTINs™ when selling your product online will increase your chance of sales by providing better product visibility, a better buying experience and more efficient operations. The main advantages and benefits of using GS1 GTINs™ for online sales are: • Meet the requirements of marketplaces using GS1 GTINs™. • Drive more traffic to your products with better visibility on Google and other search engines. • Speed up the listing process for your products. The GS1 GTIN™ offers many other advantages: as it used in all sales channels globally, it helps the expansion of your business across multiple channels, marketplaces, physical retail stores, locally and internationally. We also keep the numbers in our GS1 database accessible to everyone through Verified by GS1 (gs1za.org/solutions/verified/). Anyone can check if your GS1 GTIN™ is linked to your company and/or product and that’s exactly what many marketplaces do before they authorise your product for listing. From the consumer’s perspective, a GS1 GTIN™ improves the buying experience, makes products easier to find and reduces the risk of receiving the wrong product.