Appetite Creative joins GS1 US program ahead of Sunrise 2027

Appetite Creative has become part of the GS1 US Solution Partner Program, a network of technology and service providers aiming to help businesses “correctly” implement GS1 Sunrise standards globally. 

The GS1 US Solution Partner Program sets out to create a common foundation for business, including standardization for barcodes and product data, according to Appetite Creative. 

The digital marketing and connected packaging studio based in London, UK, says that it will contribute to the network by supporting brands in designing and building consumer brand experiences on GS1-standard QR codes. It will provide expertise in delivering information and experiences such as recipes, games, customer feedback, and stock management. 

A single QR code will work for both the retailer and consumer, highlights Appetite Creative.

“The on-pack QR code is about to become one of the most valuable media spaces a brand owns, because it's on every product and in every customer’s hand,” argues Jenny Stanley, managing director of Appetite Creative. 

“GS1 standards make that code work at the checkout and across the supply chain. Our job is to make it worth scanning so brands can have direct conversations with customers, and now through the GS1 US Solution Partner Program they will have access to our expertise and experience. With Sunrise 2027, one code can do it all, for the checkout and for the consumer.”

Sunrise 2027

The retail industry is preparing for Sunrise 2027, and its goal is for store checkout scanners in the US and Europe to read 2D barcodes, such as QR codes, instead of relying on traditional linear barcodes, Appetite Creative points out.

Recently, Leibinger Group and Markem-Imaje, both companies supporting brands transition to 2D codes, said that regulations in the EU and Canada are driving faster adoption of GS1 standards than in the US market.

Appetite Creative adds that 2D barcodes offer “more capabilities” than barcodes when the QR code follows a GS1 Digital Link, as it can be scanned at the checkout to provide product and traceability data, and provide brand experiences on the consumer’s phone.

Thomas Francis, director of Partnerships at GS1 US, says: “Appetite Creative brings a rare combination of creative expertise and knowledge of GS1 standards, and this partnership builds on their existing work across the GS1 network.” 

“As brands move to 2D barcodes, partners who can show and benefit from the consumer value of GS1 Digital Link will help the whole industry adopt and evolve faster.”

Appetite Creative will present its connected packaging research and case studies with the GS1 US community in the upcoming sixth annual Global Connected Packaging Survey report.

The studio highlights its web-based experiences that open when a consumer scans a barcode without the need to download an app. Previously, iIt has collaborated with Tetra Pak, Danone, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

It says that its recent connected packaging campaign for Danone's Alpro achieved a 14% scan rate, compared with around 0.1% for traditional digital ads, adding that visitors spent more than four minutes on average engaging with the experience.