Productcodes

Productcodes are identifiers assigned to goods to uniquely identify them within a system or across supply chains. They enable tracking, ordering, pricing, and data aggregation by linking a physical item to its digital records in inventory, point-of-sale, and e-commerce platforms.

Common types include UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN (European Article Number), and GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). ISBN and ISSN are codes used for books and serial publications. Internal stock-keeping units (SKUs) are enterprise-specific codes that organize products by attributes such as category, size, or color. GTINs are globally unique and are typically represented in barcodes that can be scanned at checkout.

Standards organization GS1 maintains global standards for product identification. A GTIN or other product code is issued by a GS1 member organization and is designed to remain stable over the product’s lifetime. Data associated with a code—such as brand, model, size, and attributes—can be stored in product catalogs and linked via the code.

Use cases include retail point of sale, warehouse receipt and picking, online marketplaces, catalog management, and product recalls. Effective product code management requires governance to avoid duplicates, ensure versioning for variants, and synchronize data across ERP, CRM, e-commerce, and logistics systems.

Technical notes: many codes embed a check digit calculated according to a standard algorithm, helping detect input errors. Codes may be represented as human-readable numbers or as machine-readable barcodes or QR representations.