In 1974, the barcode changed retail forever. 52 years later, Tesco is moving on.
They just replaced traditional barcodes with 2D QR codes on all own-brand sausages. Most shoppers didn't even notice the change. That is how good technology should work.
The numbers: Woolworths in Australia already used this tech to cut food waste by 20%. These new codes aren't "dumb." They carry the expiry date and the specific batch number.
My professional opinion: The real victory here is safety, not just speed. If a batch of meat is recalled, the checkout till will block the sale. It doesn't matter if a staff member missed a pack on the shelf. The system stops the risk instantly.
It also means the end of manual "yellow stickers." The till sees the item expires today and applies a discount automatically. The question is the consumers should know about the reduced price at shelf, not at the checkout area, to push sales of the discounted items.
The global "Sunrise 2027" deadline is coming. Every major retailer in Europe is watching this pilot. We are moving from "what is this item" to "exactly how fresh is this specific pack."
The 50-year era of the simple barcode is over.
Is your supply chain ready for 2027?