This is very much dependent on the data the brand shares and uploads to the Transparency database. In addition to customers having visibility of the basic product information I mentioned earlier, they can also have access to related product recommendations and methods to register products for warranties. The more additional information a brand provides, the more they are engaging with the customer and giving them a great customer experience. A mobile app allows customers to scan products, as well. It’s not only Amazon and other retailers that can scan the items. They will also scan the items prior to shipping them out to the customer. If the items are not recognized, they’ll be rejected. When the inventory arrives at the Amazon Fulfillment Centers, the codes on items participating in Transparency are scanned to check that the items are authentic before Amazon receives the stock. I’m sure over time the level of additional data will increase if the program becomes more popular and customers begin to depend on the detail. The brand can then choose to add additional data (such as product location, lot numbers, and ingredients) and upload this directly into the Vendor Central dashboard. This generates a data file in the Transparency database. Once codes are attached to the items, they are scanned. For example, if you have 1000 units for SKU number ABC123, you will need 1000 unique codes that must be attached to every single unit, either on the product or the retail packaging. When I state each unit, I mean every single unit of inventory for that one SKU. With Transparency, every unit requires a unique non-sequential 26 digit alpha-numeric code, which can be printed as a scannable barcode. It also helps brands connect with their customers and makes it easy to manage product expiration and recalls. It gives product transparency to the customer by providing certain information as mentioned earlier place of manufacture, date of manufacture, etc. With one simple scan, the customer or retailer will immediately be able to check the authenticity of the product and be able to trace the item back to the manufacturer through the chain of distribution. Learn how in this article about Amazon's New Seller Incentives. New sellers enrolled in the Brand Registry can receive credits for Amazon's Transparency program. Hence, they are introducing a preventative solution with the Transparency program. While Amazon introduced brand gating to the mix, that is not a preventative measure nor a sustainable solution. This has been damaging to the company's reputation as well as the customer experience. With the rapid growth in private-label items and easier access to importing goods from the Far East, Amazon has seen an influx of counterfeit products on the platform. The Amazon Transparency program was introduced as a way to help reduce counterfeit products.
This means that they have access to more data such as where the item was manufactured, the production date, the ingredients, and the origin of the materials. Unlike UPCs and EANs that only show you what the product is, with the Amazon Transparency program a retailer or customer can trace products right back to the point of manufacturing. However, it is far more intelligent than the current barcodes used.
#Barcode transparent code#
It is similar to a UPC or EAN in that a numerical code is attached to the product, which is then scanned to identify what the item is. In this post, I'll share some information about how it works. The Amazon Transparency program was recently launched to help vendors track inventory through its distribution lifecycle via the use of a scannable barcode.