HOW GS1 RESCURED A MARKETPLACE SCENARIO
Imagine Naomi, an enthusiastic online shopper, eagerly browsing through her most liked marketplace for a new coffee maker. She gets the best one, adds it to her cart, and proceeds to checkout. However, when the parcel gets to her, she’s amazed to realise that it’s not the model she ordered. Infuriated, she reaches out to customer support, arising to a series of back-and-forth emails and a delayed resolution to her problem.
What went wrong in this scenario? The main cause lies in the lack of standardized product identification and data synchronization on the marketplace platform. Without an all-inclusive system in place, sellers may use different naming protocols or product identifiers, leading to uncertainties and errors in orders.
This is where GS1 comes in to save the day. Let’s retract and see how GS1’s standards could have stopped Naomi’s ordeal.
When the vendor listed the coffee maker on the e- commerce platform, they allocated it a GS1 barcode, a globally unique identifier that provides accurate and consistent information about the product. This GTIN contains crucial information such as the manufacturer, product description, and dimensions, ensuring that there’s no room for ambiguity or doubt.
As Naomi peruses through the marketplace, she realises that all listings show the same structured information, thanks to GS1’s data synchronization initiatives. This means that she can easily contrast products, assured that she’s making an informed decision based on correct information.
When Naomi places her order, the platform immediately communicates with the seller’s inventory system using GS1 standards, making sure that the precise product is picked and shipped. With GS1’s barcode scanning technology, the product is scanned at every point of the supply chain, from warehouse to delivery, ensuring real-time visibility and traceability.
In return, Naomi receives the same coffee maker she ordered, without any disappointments. And in the rare occurrence of a problem, the marketplace’s customer support team can hurriedly access accurate product knowledge through GS1’s standardized database, accelerating the resolution process and ensuring Sarah’s contentment.
In this occasion, GS1’s standards acted as a lifebelt, saving the marketplace from possible chaos, ensuring a smooth shopping experience for Naomi and many other buyers. By leading standardized product identification and data synchronization, GS1 continues to be a driving force behind the success of modern marketplaces, nurturing trust, efficiency, and reliability for all stakeholders involved.