The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) provides a global supply chain solution by identifying any trade item that may be priced, or ordered, or invoiced at any point in the supply chain upon which there is a need to retrieve pre-defined information. The GTIN Management Standard is designed to help industry make consistent decisions about the unique identification of trade items in open supply chains.
The following guiding principles should be considered by any brand owner when introducing changes to an existing product and also when developing a GTIN assignment strategy for a new product:
Unique identification of trade items is critical in order:
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to maintain operational efficiencies that business partners rely on to exchange information about products in consistent ways
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to ensure smooth operations of global supply chains
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to comply with various regulations across the globe
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to ensure the right product is made available on the store shelf or is presented and fulfilled properly from an ecommerce platform to the consumer.
