The first two things you have to decide when adding a new product to Barcode Manager is which Packaging Level it falls under and what Packaging Type it's sold in.
Packaging Level
When you add a new product to Barcode Manager, the first thing you need to decide is the packaging level of the product. Which packaging level you choose depends on where and how the barcode is going to be used.
Is your product going to be purchased in a shop or directly by a consumer?
Is the item going to be scanned at a till?
Is this a group of products that are being shipped to one of your retail partners and will only be scanned by their back of house team?
There are two main types of barcodes you will be looking to create:
Consumer Units and Logistics Units.
Consumer barcodes, or EAN-13, that are scanned at a till. In Barcode Manager, the consumer barcodes fall under the Consumer Unit and Multipack or Inner Pack packaging level.
The Consumer Unit is the base unit of your product.
Some examples of base units are a can of soda, a tub of yogurt, or a box of cereal. Each variation of your product requires its own unique barcode number. Variations can include different sizes, scents, colours, flavours, etc.
The Multipack or Inner Pack is the next level up where you have created a pack of your base unit products, which are sold individually and have a barcode assigned to them, to be sold together.
These can be the same product or a variety of products. Each variation of your packs requires its own unique barcode number. Variations can include different product combinations, number of products, etc.
If you have a pack where the products aren't sold on their own and don't have a barcode assigned to the individual items in the pack, this should be entered as a Consumer Unit and not a Multipack or Inner Pack.
Logistics Units
The second type of barcodes are logistics barcodes, most commonly ITF-14 symbols, that are only scanned by your trading partner and cannot be used at a till.
In Barcode Manager, the logistics barcodes fall under the Case or Mixed Case and Display Unit packaging level.
There is also an option for Pallets, however if you need to create SSCC Pallet Labels you will need to either register for free access to the Logistics Label Tool or use your own software to create these labels.
The Case or Mixed Case packaging level is for the outer cases you have been asked to supply to your trading partners. Like Consumer Barcodes, each variation of outer case requires its own number. Variations can include number of products contained, variety of products contained, etc.
The Display Unit is meant to be on packaging that is used to display your products in store. This is for products that are sold individually and the box cannot be scanned and sold as the entire pack. Each variation of Display Unit will also require a unique number.
Please contact our Helpdesk if you're having trouble figuring out which Packaging Level your product falls under.
Packaging Type
After you've decided which Packaging Level is the correct one for your product, you will need to decide the Packaging Type.
There are a variety of packaging options available in the drop down menu under Product and Packaging Types. When trying to decide which one is the right fit for your product, it is best to start by choosing the option that seems closest to your packaging and then reading the Packaging Definition.
The Packaging Definition can be found under the Packaging Example, and gives a broader overview of how the packaging is put together and functions.
Clic the Next button to continue on to the product description section.