Alibaba have announced that they will be requesting GTINs and use GS1 data pool standards from seller on their platforms.
By inviting brand owners to adopt GS1 standards, Alibaba are recognising the huge benefits that standards can bring, including managing their supply chain efficiently, complying with laws and regulations for accurate product information, meeting the demands for consumer transparency, strengthening brand integrity and improving the consumer experience.
Alibaba have a huge number of manufacturers listing on their site and so the impact of their adoption of GS1 standards will be more far reaching than may appear at first glance. If European retailers source their products on Alibaba and they come from a manufacturer using GTINs registered with Alibaba then the retailer will have the barcode needed to list on other Western marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon.
As well as inviting brand owners to adopt GS1 standards for product information management and to use Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) for uniquely identifying their products for global e-commerce, Alibaba are also encouraging users to join the GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) for online exchange of product information.
2 Responses
“Huge benefits”? To whom? Not to me. I can easily imagine a race to the bottom, pricewise. And why are EANs so expensive via the non-profit GS1?
Great article! An edit here