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What Sunrise 2027 actually requires

The retail 2D barcode transition, translated into the five decisions brand teams actually have to make.

All postsJuly 1, 2026

Sunrise 2027 is the retail industry's target for point-of-sale systems to scan 2D barcodes — not just the familiar 1D UPC. That sounds like a packaging problem. It's really a data problem wearing a packaging costume.

The five decisions

1. What goes in the code. A GTIN alone wastes the format. Batch, expiry, and a Digital Link URI are where the value lives.

2. Who owns the destination. A scan that resolves to a dead page is worse than no code at all. Decide which team owns what the customer sees.

3. When packaging changes. Artwork cycles are long. Codes have to land on the runs you already have scheduled.

4. How ops verifies. Every line change needs a scan check that matches what retailers will do at the register.

5. What you measure. Scans are first-party signal. If you're not capturing them, you're printing free media for no one.

Resolve2D exists to walk teams through exactly this list — in order, without boiling the ocean.

Ready for Sunrise 2027?

Let’s map your products, identifiers, and Digital Link plan — before packaging freezes.

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