DAYTON, Ohio -- GS1, the global bar code standards body based in Brussels, Belgium, has unofficially set Jan. 1, 2008 as a voluntary "sunrise" deadline by which retailers will be expected to employ scanning equipment that can scan reduced space symbology (RSS) bar codes.
The RSS code, which has been available for several years but has been slow to be adopted by the retail industry, is a small bar code containing 14 digits. It was designed for products too small for traditional bar code symbols as well as for products that require data capture beyond item identification.
The new sunrise program was established by the Physical Technical Requirements Group (PTRG), part of GS1's Global Standards Management Process (GSMP). The 2008 sunrise program also calls for the RSS code to become a global, open standard on a par with bar codes such as the traditional UPC code based on EAN.UCC standards.
Though the sunrise date has not been made official pending analysis of the cost implications for retailers and manufacturers, GS1 officials indicate they expect the date to be adopted. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a go," said Jack Eggert, global standards director, GS1, and process manager of PTRG, whose office is based here. "We're working with scanning companies, scale manufacturers and retailers. Everyone is excited about the 2008 [RSS] sunrise date."
In June, Eggert gave a presentation -- "A Sunrise for RSS?!" -- at the U Connect Conference, sponsored by GS1 US (formerly the Uniform Code Council) in Dallas.
GS1 US, Lawrenceville, N.J., the U.S. division of GS1, was the body behind the original sunrise program, 2005 Sunrise. This set Jan. 1, 2005, as the date when North American retailers would be expected to scan and process 13-digit EAN codes coming from outside North America, in addition to traditional UPC codes.
Though physically smaller than 12-digit UPC and 13-digit EAN codes, RSS codes can hold more data. Products considered candidates for RSS codes include produce, meat and other perishables, candy, health and beauty care, and general merchandise, as well as periodicals, greeting cards and coupons.
"RSS is the answer to the industry's request for a smaller symbol that holds more information," Eggert said. "It [affords] packages more space for advertising." The symbology will also allow for package size reduction, more space for brand or regulatory information and it provides a migration path to the electronic product code (EPC).
The first phase of PTRG's migration plan for retailers pertains solely to scanning hardware and not software or internal systems. Eggert anticipates that by 2008 most retailer scanning equipment will be RSS-ready as a result of unrelated upgrades. For instance, many scanners that were upgraded as part of this year's sunrise deadline are RSS-ready or can be easily adjusted to read RSS code.
PTRG is currently conducting performance testing with RSS symbology and scanners. "So far, results have outperformed our expectations," Eggert said. "We're ready to go for 2008."
During phase one of the migration, RSS bar codes will only contain a product's global trade identification number (GTIN), just as 12- and 13-digit bar codes do today. The additional information feature of the symbology will not be leveraged until the second phase of rollout, which has yet to be established. The symbology that contains the additional information is known as RSS Expanded.
"Phase one sets the stage for the future by preparing for hardware readiness without requiring retailers to change their internal applications," Eggert said. Phase two will set the stage for new data-rich applications that would require GS1 approval based on an assessment of the business value.
For instance, if the business case is warranted, RSS Expanded may be approved for use with meat products, he noted. In addition to the GTIN, the expanded symbology might identify a meat package's weight as well as its price.
"The use of RSS Expanded with data beyond GTIN will be approved at [product] application specific levels and separate adoption dates will be specified at that level," Eggert said.
In order to process all of the data in RSS Expanded symbology, retailers would have to install software. However, retailers who have not installed additional software will still be able to scan the basic GTIN information contained within RSS Expanded symbology, Eggert said.
RSS is also being groomed for use in coupon scanning, for which application software would be needed. The Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC) has proposed a plan to re-engineer the coupon bar code with the RSS code. Its latest draft proposal, issued last October, outlines a schedule that would require retailers to be able to scan and process the RSS coupon bar code by January 2008. The JICC is comprised of GS1 US, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Marketing Institute and the Association of Coupon Professionals.
RSS bar codes on coupons will provide for validation of specific offer, purchase requirements and expiration dates, better auditing and less fraud, JICC said.
Eggert does not know of any retailers currently testing RSS internally. Several years ago, GS1 US tested RSS codes on meat in two Dorothy Lane stores in Dayton, Ohio. The store proved that the RSS code could be scanned at the checkout with only slight modification to equipment.
There are many sizes and shape variations of RSS codes including RSS-14, RSS-14 Stacked, RSS-14 Stacked Omni directional, RSS Expanded and RSS Expanded Stacked.
