Turn every pack into a verified consumer surface with a single GS1 Digital Link 2D barcode. The same code identifies the product at retail point-of-sale, opens a structured Digital Product Passport on a phone, and records first-party scan analytics so you can see exactly how packaging is performing in the world.
Connected packaging is the practice of attaching a digital identity to physical packaging through a code on pack, then resolving that code to brand-controlled content when a consumer or a retail system scans it. Twenty years ago that code was a 1D EAN-13 that a till could read. Today, the industry is migrating to 2D barcodes carrying a real GS1 Digital Link URL that does both jobs at once.
That second job, the consumer scan, is where connected packaging earns its name. Instead of a marketing landing page disconnected from the product's identity in retail systems, a connected pack opens to a structured product passport that lives at a stable URL for the lifetime of the GTIN. Story, ingredients, allergens, certifications, sustainability claims, batch lookup, recall safety information, where to buy, support links and product-specific engagement all sit behind the same code on pack.
The retail-side push is Sunrise 2027 , the global GS1 working-group goal that retail point-of-sale should be able to read 2D barcodes carrying GS1 Digital Link URLs by the end of 2027. Most large grocery, drug and CPG channels are running pilots in 2025 and 2026 and scaling through 2027. Brands that haven't migrated by the end of that window will lag the channel.
The consumer-side push is the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation , which introduces the Digital Product Passport for in-scope categories. ESPR delegated acts roll out from 2025 to 2030. Brands selling into the EU need a place to put structured ingredient, material, durability, repair, recyclability and supply-chain data, and that place is increasingly addressable by a 2D barcode on pack.
Most brands already have multiple codes on pack: an EAN-13 for retail, a separate marketing QR pointing at a campaign page, sometimes a regional variant for a different market. None of them are connected. The marketing QR has no standards layer, no validated GTIN, no resolver, no batch awareness. The EAN-13 has no consumer surface. Connected packaging consolidates them.
The other problem is data. Most brands have product information scattered across PIM systems, marketing decks, regulatory submissions and packaging artwork. A connected pack needs a single source of truth. The platform's product passport sections organize Product, Proof and Engagement content around the GTIN, so identity, ingredients or materials, nutrition, certifications, recycling, resolver links, scan actions and batch traceability can all stay connected to the same product record.
Real GS1 Digital Link URI syntax with validated mod-10 GTIN check digits. Optional batch (AI 10) and serial (AI 21) qualifiers. Print-ready PNG, SVG and PDF exports your printer already accepts.
Fast, brand-themed, multi-section public scan page resolving from the GTIN. Product information, proof, certificates, batch lookup, recycling, recall safety, support links and optional engagement in one mobile experience.
Product scans, daily trends, country, city, device and referrer signals where available. Date range picker and CSV export for paid plans, without third-party ad trackers on the scan page.
Product-connected next steps on top of the public passport: giveaway, loyalty, retail promo, impact proof, feedback, stockist link or support contact with consent-first lead capture.
Product-linked lot records for exact /01/{gtin}/10/{batchCode} scans. Public or internal visibility, expiry, best-before, origin summary, release notes, safety notice and certificate links.
Workspace logo, brand color and public scan-page treatment so connected packaging feels controlled by the brand, not by a generic QR generator.
The first mistake is treating connected packaging as a marketing campaign. A campaign QR points at a landing page that goes stale. A connected pack carries a stable URL for the lifetime of the GTIN, with content that evolves underneath. Plan the page like product information, not like a campaign asset.
The second mistake is skipping the standards layer. A generic QR with a marketing redirect won't scan at retail point-of-sale. A QR Code powered by GS1 with a validated Digital Link URL will. The difference is invisible to the consumer but critical to the till.
The third mistake is putting too much weight on the first version of the public passport. Publish a minimal page with identity, story and one image. Add ingredients, certifications and supply-chain transparency over the following months. The URL is stable, so the work compounds.
Food and beverage brands carry the heaviest traceability load and gain the most from batch-level passport content. Cosmetics consumers read labels more than any other category, so ingredient transparency on a connected pack converts. Grocery CPG brands face Sunrise 2027 first because their retailers are running 2D-capable point-of-sale pilots already. Manufacturers handle GTIN-14 case-level identity alongside GTIN-13 consumer units in the same workspace.
Five active product pages on the free plan, no credit card. Real GS1 Digital Link from the very first scan.