Companies with $1.5 Trillion USD in market value support transition to QR Codes at point of sale - is New Zealand prepared?

Changing Consumer Expectations Necessitate Urgent Tech Adoption by Kiwi Businesses

27 MARCH 2025

For 50 years the ubiquitous GS1 barcode has silently powered global commerce. Scanned billions of times each day, yet often overlooked in everyday life. Barcodes have enabled modern retail and supply chains through efficient checkouts, inventory management, and product identification.

Today, as consumers seek more information about the products they are purchasing and regulators require greater disclosure, 26 leading global companies—with a combined market value of USD 1.5 trillion—including Procter & Gamble, Mondelez, L'Oréal, Nestlé and Alibaba, are supporting the global transition to GS1 QR Codes, marking the next evolution in how product information is shared.

With pilots running in 48 countries covering 88% of the world’s gross domestic product, the shift to GS1 QR Codes is already underway. Products with GS1 QR codes from global brands such as L’Oréal are already on supermarket shelves in New Zealand and being sold to New Zealand consumers. These ‘next-generation’, 2-dimensional (2D) barcodes, are set to transform the consumer experience by going ‘beep’ at the till like the traditional linear barcodes, but can be ‘scanned’ by consumers' smartphones to access detailed product information.

New Zealand consumers set to benefit

Consumers will be able to connect to detailed product information such as ingredients, allergens, usage instructions and recycling details. With a simple smartphone scan, shoppers can access everything they need to know and businesses can gain greater supply chain efficiencies.

"GS1 QR Codes will do more than just scan at checkout,” says Dr Peter Stevens, CEO, GS1 New Zealand. “They will revolutionise how New Zealand businesses manage stock, reduce wastage, provide allergen information and engage with consumers in real time. Their adoption is gaining traction in Australasia and it’s only a matter of time before we see higher volumes of product from global brands hitting our shelves with these new barcodes. What we are concerned about is the readiness of Kiwi businesses to scan these products and assist their consumers”.

Will NZ be ready by the end of 2027?

The clock is ticking for Kiwi businesses to get onboard with this transition which is underway now. The global ambition is for these new age barcodes to be scannable at point of sale in retail by the end of 2027.

To succeed, retailers and manufacturers must act now:

  • Retailers should ensure point of sale scanners are equipped to read 2D Barcodes with GS1 standards.
  • Manufacturers should start implementing GS1 2D Barcodes on product packages

Who is GS1?

GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation represented in 118 countries and supporting over two million businesses worldwide. GS1 brought the humble and ubiquitous barcode to the world 50 years ago. GS1 New Zealand is the local affiliate of the federation and is owned by over 8,000+ New Zealand members across business and government.

Contact for media queries:

GS1 New Zealand Marketing: [email protected]

Aishwarya Taukari: + 64 27 248 8613, [email protected]

Jonathan O’Grady: + 64 27 811 8286, [email protected]

Appendix: For Media: Quotes by global industry leaders

Jon R. Moeller, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, The Procter & Gamble Company

“Consumers demand more information about the products they’re purchasing, regulators require the disclosure of more information and there’s an ongoing need to more effectively track and trace products through the supply chain. We can resolve this with 2D barcodes with GS1 standards inside – a single barcode that has the power to provide all the information consumers need and desire, improve traceability through the supply chain, and scans at checkout.”

Mark Batenic, Chairman IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance)

“We expect that the transition to QR Codes with GS1 standards will happen gradually around the world, but one thing is certain: those that accelerate through this transformation the fastest will be best positioned to unlock valuable new capabilities and provide more benefits to their customers, shoppers, and consumers.”

Silvia Bagliani, VP & Managing Director Italy, Mondelēz International

“The transition to the next generation 2D barcodes will be an epoch-making moment, just as the introduction of the barcode was. Our industry must do this together and together achieve the goal of exchanging relevant and trusted data with partners, authorities and above all consumers, who are increasingly interested in knowing everything about the products they buy. I believe that a data culture is crucial to increase the value of our company's relationship with consumers and the reputation of the entire industry”

Quote from local industry leader (Not part of the Joint Statement)

Vincent Arbuckle, New Zealand Food Safety Deputy Director-General

“New Zealand Food Safety is supporting the rollout of 2D barcodes as a critical step in strengthening supply chain processes to ensure consumer food safety and reduce food waste” says New Zealand Food Safety Deputy Director-General Vincent Arbuckle. “The new 2D barcodes are an exciting innovation that will add a valuable layer of food-safety protection for New Zealand consumers. Recalled products will be able to be removed from shelves even more swiftly and affected products can be blocked at the point of sale. The 2D barcodes have also been shown to reduce food waste, addressing another key concern for consumers.”

For General Queries: Additional Information on 2D Barcodes

  • Learn more about 2D Barcodes with GS1 standards and get involved, go to: 
  • You can read the full list of retailers & the global joint statement here

About Dr. Peter Stevens, Chief Executive, GS1 New Zealand

Dr Peter Stevens has been Chief Executive of GS1 New Zealand since January 2004. Before joining GS1, Peter worked in senior roles at BearingPoint, Standards New Zealand and Apple Computer.

He has served as a Senior Lecturer in IT marketing at Victoria University and an Adjunct Professor in Information Systems & Computing at Unitec.

About GS1 New Zealand (Incorporated)

GS1 New Zealand is a not-for-profit operating as part of a global federation of GS1 organisations, with offices in over 116 countries. We are best known for the barcode, named in 2016 by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy.” Globally, GS1 supports more than 2 million user companies and 10 billion transactions every day.

GS1 New Zealand is the local affiliate of the federation and is owned by over 8,000+ New Zealand members and affiliate members across business and government.

The organisation uniquely identifies products and parties and verifies core data associated with these parties and products. This provides a source of trusted data to facilitate local and global trade. Most exports from New Zealand have GS1 identifiers (expressed on the product in the form of a barcode). GS1 NZ is at the forefront of online shopping, where retailers like Woolworths and platforms such as Amazon require use of our standards. More generally, GS1 NZ helps New Zealand business with supply chain management and other business processes through the adoption of the world’s best practice for the accurate flow of information using digitised and automated data transfer.

The Board of GS1 NZ is a volunteer board which includes representation from retailers such as Foodstuffs, leading New Zealand companies such as Fonterra, and industry associations such the Food and Grocery Council.