Generate GS1 Digital Link QR codes with Orca Scan

Create and maintain GS1 Digital Link QR codes effortlessly with Orca Scan. Our solution is designed for maximum ease of use. Simply provide a GS1 barcode and a link to your product page, and our GS1 QR Code Generator automatically handles the rest, creating a unique homepage and QR code for each of your products.

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Joyce Gannon
Founder of Ntsama

It’s so easy to go onto the Orca platform and make any changes I need; I can add or take away, highlight promotions… it works well with my website and what I’m trying to achieve for the brand
Jason Hale
Head of Product at GS1 UK

Our focus was to make the implementation and adoption of QR codes powered by GS1 easy for our SME members. The success of the pilot with Orca Scan shows how effective the solution has been in meeting that goal

Elizabeth Fox
Office Manager at Hillfarm Oils

The GS1 Digital Link solution with Orca Scan’s bespoke landing page gives Hillfarm’s story the space it deserves
Mark Jackson 9x

Very good
Easy to use, simple, convenient and fast

Mark Millard
Founder of WheyBetter

I can’t see any negatives to it; you’re only gaining from utilising QR codes powered by GS1 and the Orca Scan solution
Alex Albright
Associate Manager of Non Production Spend at Enfamil

I chose Orca Scan because of its ease of use and instant implementation

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How to Get Started with This Solution

How do I generate a GS1 Digital Link QR Code with Orca Scan?

By providing a GS1 barcode and a link to the product page on your website, the Orca Scan Digital Link solution generates a unique homepage and QR code for each of your products.

Login to your Orca Scan account
Create a new sheet using the GS1 Digital Link template
1. Select a GS1 resolver
2. Enter a Custom Domain (optional)
3. Enter an API key (not required if using id.orcascan.com)
4. Click create
Enter your product GS1 GTIN barcode
Enter your Product Name
Enter your Product Info URL (a link to product page on your website)
Click save

That’s it. You will now see a preview of your GS1 Digital Link home page on the right.

What are GS1 QR codes and how do they work?

Every product with a GS1 GTIN is assigned a new QR code containing a unique URL. When a customer points their smartphone camera at the GS1 QR code (no app needed), they’re taken to a web page containing key product information such as videos, recipes & recycling information.

An example of a GS1 Digital Link homepage

Regardless of the size of your product label, consumers can scan and access your brand story, purchase directly from you and even connect with you on social media. It’s a direct connection between you and your customer and a new source of traffic for your website.

What is a GS1 GTIN?

A GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the unique identification barcode found on all retail products. It lets checkout systems quickly recognize and process items. The GTIN is a worldwide standard, essential for selling your products in the UK and internationally. You’ll need a valid GS1 GTIN to use a GS1 QR code generator.

Explanation of the GS1 GTIN data structure.

What is a GS1 Digital Link QR code?

GS1 Digital Link is the newest barcode standard. It connects products directly to the internet, and a GS1 QR code generator makes them for you. Each product gets its own unique web address and page, and this information can be updated at any time, even after the product has left the factory.

What is a GS1 Resolver?

A GS1 resolver is a database in the cloud that directs users who scan a GS1 Digital Link QR code to the relevant online content setup by the brand. You can think of it as a redirection service that allows your QR codes to be modified long after your product has reached the market.

The Orca Scan Digital Link solution supports the following GS1 compliant resolvers:

Owner	Domain	API Key	Action required
Orca Scan	`id.orcascan.com`	No	None
GS1 UK	`id.gs1uk.org`	Yes	You must request an API key from GS1 UK
GS1 US	`id.gs1.org`	Yes	You must request an API key from GS1 US

If you would like to use an alternative GS1 compliant resolver, please chat with us live.

Why generate a GS1 QR code for your brand?

It’s simple! GS1 Digital Link helps you build relationships with your customers by driving high-intent traffic from the person holding your product, to your website, social media and related content.

How do I download a generated GS1 QR code?

To get your GS1 Digital Link QR code from the GS1 QR code generator:

Login to your Orca Scan account
Select your GS1 Digital Link sheet
Select the product you wish to use
Open the Barcode Generator on the left-hand side
Click download

That’s it. You now have the GS1 Digital Link QR code to add to your product.

Note: For legacy reasons, you must keep the existing 1D barcode on your product until 2027, at which point all computer systems should have been updated to support the new QR code.

How will the Digital Link homepage look to my customers?

Orca Scan automatically generates a unique homepage using your logo and brand colours extracted from your website. Use our free GS1 Digital Link Preview tool to test your product, or point your smartphone at the QR code below to visit one of our customers, JUX Food.

Why should retailers generate GS1 QR Codes?

At present when a retailer wants to sell a product in a store, they must first request the product information from the manufacturer and import it into their system. This allows WMS/POS systems to recognise the product on scan. Using GS1 Digital Link from Orca Scan, retailers can:

Automatically import a product into their system on first scan
Check if a product has been recalled at the checkout
Check if a product has expired at a checkout

Why should developers generate GS1 QR codes?

When a system scans a GS1 Digital Link QR code (created using a GS1 QR code generator like Orca Scan), it can get the data in a machine-readable format called Simplified Product Data. This helps developers:

Quickly get product details upon scanning
Avoid having to write code for barcode interpretation
Eliminate the need to buy product data
Skip pre-loading product information into databases
Easily update their database by requesting the data again

A developer can test this without writing any code using the curl command below:

bash json

curl -H "Accept: application/json" https://id.juxfood.com/01/05065016432004

{
  "product": {
    "url": "https://www.juxfood.com/products/beetroot-80g",
    "language": "en",
    "title": "Beetroot 80g Pot",
    "description": "9 small fresh beetroots in every pot! Unlock cardiovascular benefits with beets",
    "images": [
      {
        "url": "http://www.juxfood.com/cdn/shop/files/11_a223a8ca-d342-44ff-baf4-fbd48246e188.png?v=1706723201",
        "type": "image/png"
      }
    ],
    "barcode": {
      "isValid": true,
      "gtin": "05065016432004",
      "gtin8": "",
      "gtin12": "",
      "gtin13": "5065016432004",
      "gtin14": "05065016432004",
      "machineReadable": "\u001d0105065016432004",
      "humanReadable": "(01)05065016432004",
      "digitalLink": "https://orca.link/01/05065016432004",
      "imageUrl": "https://orca.link/01/05065016432004.svg",
      "values": [
        {
          "ai": "01",
          "name": "GTIN",
          "description": "Global Trade Item Number",
          "raw": "05065016432004",
          "value": "05065016432004"
        }
      ]
    },
    "price": "",
    "currency": "",
    "availability": ""
  },
  "org": {
    "url": "https://www.juxfood.com/",
    "name": "JUXfood",
    "faviconUrl": "https://www.juxfood.com/cdn/shop/files/JUX_LOGO_BLACK_square.png?crop=center&height=32&v=1693931039&width=32",
    "logoUrl": "https://www.juxfood.com/cdn/shop/files/jux-logo.png?v=1686223843&width=500",
    "logoColors": {
      "lightest": "#313131",
      "darkest": "#040404",
      "dominant": "#040404",
      "background": "#00000000",
      "palette": [
        "#313131",
        "#040404",
        "#1c1c1c",
        "#141414",
        "#0c0c0c",
        "#041008"
      ]
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "href": "https://www.juxfood.com/products/beetroot-80g",
      "rel": "gs1:pip",
      "method": "GET",
      "title": "Info"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.juxfood.com/collections/all",
      "rel": "gs1:promotion",
      "method": "GET",
      "title": "Promotion"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.juxfood.com/blogs/recipes",
      "rel": "gs1:recipeInfo",
      "method": "GET",
      "title": "Recipe"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.facebook.com/JUXfood",
      "title": "Facebook",
      "rel": "facebook",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.instagram.com/juxfood/",
      "title": "Instagram",
      "rel": "instagram",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/juxfood/",
      "title": "Linked In",
      "rel": "linkedin",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://www.tiktok.com/@juxfood",
      "title": "TikTok",
      "rel": "tiktok",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://id.gs1.org/01/05065016432004",
      "rel": "resolver",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://orca.link/01/05065016432004.json",
      "rel": "self",
      "method": "GET"
    },
    {
      "href": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/orca-scan/simplified-product-data/v1.0.0/schema.json",
      "rel": "describedby",
      "method": "GET"
    }
  ]
}

What are the advantages of switching to GS1 QR codes?

Traditional retail barcodes will be replaced by GS1 Digital Link QR codes by 2027. By adopting GS1 QR codes now, you can:

Connect directly with customers.
Drive more, high-quality traffic to your website.
Boost traffic to your social media.
Improve packaging by reducing clutter.
Stay ahead of changing regulations.

How do I update my product images?

The Digital Link home page created by Orca Scan automatically extracts product images from your websites product detail page. To update the images on your Digital Link home page, simply update the images on your website.

My logo isn't showing: troubleshooting GS1 QR codes

Our GS1 Digital Link solution uses Open Graph tags on your website to gather information about your company, brand and logo. To ensure we can detect your logo, please add the correct Open Graph tags. You can use our free Open Graph Validator to check you have your tags setup correctly.

Why use a custom domain with your GS1 QR code?

When customers scan your GS1 Digital Link QR code, they’ll see the website address. For better brand recognition, you can use a custom domain, so your brand name appears prominently. To set this up, follow the steps in our How to set up a GS1 Digital Link subdomain guide.

Do I need to be a GS1 member to use the Digital Link solution?

Yes, to use the GS1 Digital Link solution, you must have a valid GS1 GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) which can only be provided by GS1. For most brands, this is the barcode value printed on your products. Orca Scan works with any GS1 GTIN (GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 or GTIN-14).

Can I remove old barcodes after generating a GS1 Digital Link QR code?

Not yet. You need to keep the traditional 1D barcode on retail products until 2027. This is because computer systems and checkouts worldwide need time to update and fully support the new GS1 Digital Link QR Codes from your GS1 QR code generator.

GS1 Digital Link related questions?

If you need help brainstorming how best to track your inventory, get in touch; we’d be happy to help.

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Generate GS1 Digital Link QR codes with Orca Scan

Engage with customers like never before

Create a Brand Experience Beyond your Shelf Space

Print Barcodes

Custom Branding

Fully Customisable

Add Users to your Sheet

Powerful features to improve your workflow

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Here's why thousands of teams count on Orca Scan

Joyce Gannon

Jason Hale

Elizabeth Fox

Mark Jackson 9x

Mark Millard

Alex Albright