NCP Blog: Barcodes Are Everywhere

When you scan barcodes on the products you purchase, do you ever wonder what it all means? I thought so. That’s why I’m going to talk about barcodes today!

 

So what is a UPC barcode?

 

A Universal Product Code (UPC) is a set of symbols used to represent letters or numbers. These symbols contain information about the products such as the name of the manufacturer, product description (price, size, color, flavor), inventory quantity, etc.

 

The barcode number is between eight and 12 digits, depending on the type of code. The first six to 10 digits represent the manufacturer’s identification number, the next one to five represent the item number, and the final digit represents the check digit, which ensures the accuracy of the code.

 

Although UPC barcodes are particularly suited for high-volume scanning environments such as retail stores, it’s not just retailers who use them for identification. They may be used in the health care industry to identify medical devices, for example. The barcodes are also used for logistics, data tracking, and security.

 

Accurate product identification starts with the UPC barcode since it is the key to which everything is based upon. Barcodes allow businesses to operate more efficiently.

 

Did you know?

 

• NCP panel members scanned over 77 million UPC barcodes in 2022! Amazing, right?

• A packet of chewing gum was the first product to have a UPC barcode scanned in a retail store, in 1974.

 

 

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NCP panel members represent consumers all across the country by sharing their shopping experiences and opinions. If you’re not a panel member and you’re interested in joining NCP to share your shopping experiences, earn great rewards, and influence what you see on store shelves, click here or go to the Join NCP section of the blog!