Traditionally, Barcodes were not essentials for launching the products. The most common form of a barcode is the Universal Product Code (UPC), which was first introduced in 1974 for use in grocery store named “Marsh's supermarket, Ohio USA” and the first product which was launched with Barcode was Wrigley's Gum.

Now-a-days, Product barcodes plays essential role across globe. Launching a product with barcode is mandatory whether it has registered barcode or retail barcode. Moreover, Barcode registration is not mandatory as per Indian Government; a product can be launched with the retail barcode without any prior registration to it. EAN-13 barcode numbers are 13 digits long. They are the most common type of barcode for retail products in India (as well as worldwide).

Barcode is an image consisting of a series of parallel black and white lines and these are read by special optical scanners. It is majorly used in retail stores as a part of the purchasing, billing and inventory management process, in warehouses to track and manage inventory and on invoices to help with 100% accurate accounting.

However, without a Barcode, it is possible to launch a product unless they are selling at the wholesale level or to the large retailers. If a product doesn’t have barcode then it needs to get UPC Exemption which takes minimum 1 Business day post documentation submission. Once the UPC Exemption request is approved, one can list down their products for Seller Central account without barcodes. In case of a single seller/retailer, they don’t need to go through with the legal procedures but they do need to meet accepted retail industry standards.  In case of Amazon, Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)/UPC is mandatory attribute for creating new listings. People also can apply for Brand registry which requires legal documentation like trademark certificates and it takes around 1–2 weeks to complete. Once it is processed there is no need to renew the registration.

If you want to buy or register the barcode to sell your product through retail channels or online marketplaces, then you need 13 digit GS1 GTIN (EAN) number encoded in the barcode of your product. Meanwhile, due to COVID-19 and lockdown, GS1 India team is operating remotely (contact details for any support: 011 42890890). Once the Barcode registration is completed it enables you to sell your products through modern retail channels (in-store and online). Although GS1 is verified and recognized worldwide but it costs for UPC codes are relatively higher than others available registration channels.

If you wish to apply for barcode registration then please click here, it will redirect you to the GS1 website.

And, if you wish to refer an overview of standard product ID such as Universal Product Code (UPC), International Standard Book Number (ISBN), European Article Number (EAN), Japanese Article Number (JAN) and other Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) requirements for each product category on Amazon then use this link.