This interview is brought to you by GS1 US.

One-dimensional barcodes will transition to 2D barcodes, like QR codes, and retailers need to be ready for the change by the end of 2027. GS1 US, the not-for-profit behind the Sunrise 2027 initiative, is leading the charge and helping both retailers and suppliers prepare for the next dimension of barcodes. NACS Magazine spoke with Gena Morgan, VP of standards at GS1 US, to learn how retailers can prep.

What’s driving the demand for 2D barcodes?

Consumers are looking for more and more transparency about the products they buy, especially as the cost of food rises. They want their purchase decisions to align with their preferences and their budgets. A recent survey by GS1 found that 76% of consumers want more information due to higher food costs, with 71% saying that they are reading labels more closely and often. Additionally, 66% said they would scan a QR code on food packaging to access information such as freshness, ingredients and shelf life.

How will this transition impact retailers’ operations?

We really think of this transition in three phases: crawl, walk and run. Right now we are in the crawl phase, which is where retailers need to ensure they can scan and accept 2D barcodes at checkout to complete a purchase. For now, a retailer could drop all other data but the UPC to ensure that the code goes “beep” at checkout and that’s it. Scanning the UPC will look much like it does today, but retailers will need an optical scanner to process a 2D barcode, as well as the necessary firmware upgrades from their scanner manufacturer to make them Sunrise 2027 capable.

Future phases—walk and run—will involve leveraging additional data stored in the barcodes for more consumer engagement, automation and business insights. Retailers need to decide how much of that data stored in the barcode they want to leverage and integrate into their systems. It could potentially be used for inventory management, product traceability and alerting stores to product recalls, tracking expired products, generating dynamic pricing, linking to digital coupons or providing data on consumer purchases through loyalty apps and much more.

Continue reading “Wake Up Call: Get Ready for Sunrise 2027” in the September 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.