Barcoding: From Humble Beginnings to Industry Game-Changer
This year marks the 50th anniversary of a revolutionary innovation that transformed global commerce—the barcode. In 1974, the first barcode was scanned at a grocery checkout, and today, barcodes have become ubiquitous in industries worldwide. According to GS1, the organization responsible for maintaining barcode standards, barcodes are scanned an astounding 10 billion times a day—more than 115,000 scans per second. That’s double the 5 billion scans reported just ten years ago. Let’s take a look at the history of barcoding and explore its future as a critical technology.
The History of Barcoding: How a Pack of Gum Revolutionized Retail
The concept of using optical patterns to encode data for machine reading was first developed in the late 1940s by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver. George Laurer later improved this work, developing the Universal Product Code (UPC) in the early 1970s to streamline the labor-intensive checkout and inventory processes. Retailers quickly embraced the UPC, allowing cashiers to scan products at checkout instead of manually entering prices.
On June 26, 1974, a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum became the first item scanned with a UPC at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, marking the beginning of a new era in retail. Barcodes soon expanded into other industries, from retail to healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, and logistics. By 1988, micro-barcodes were even used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Honeywell to track honeybee movements.
The Evolution of Barcodes: From UPC to QR Codes
Although traditional 1D barcodes revolutionized retail, the demand for more data led to the development of two-dimensional (2D) barcodes. In 1994, Masahiro Hara from Denso Wave introduced the Quick-Response (QR) code. Unlike UPCs, QR codes can store much larger amounts of information, including URLs, product details, and payment links. They can be scanned with smartphones, making them highly accessible for consumers. QR codes became standardized in 2014, and GS1 continues to drive global adoption.
As barcodes have evolved, so has the technology surrounding them. Barcode scanners have moved from checkout counters to wireless handheld devices, offering mobility and flexibility. Barcode printers now include rugged models designed for demanding environments like warehouses, providing both direct thermal and thermal transfer printing options.
Barcodes Inc: Your Partner for Advanced Barcode Solutions
For over 25 years, Barcodes Inc has been a leader in providing cutting-edge barcode technology solutions. From improving inventory management efficiency to enhancing consumer experiences, Barcodes Inc offers the latest scanners, printers, and software to optimize your operations. Our long-standing partnerships with trusted manufacturers ensure that we deliver high-quality products, backed by our world-class customer support. Barcodes Inc is dedicated to helping you harness the full potential of barcode technology to drive your business forward.
