Coupon Barcode Verification Application

The Project

The Project

When the consumer coupon industry transitioned for a 12-digit, limited-data UPC-A barcode to a complex, 69-Digit GS1 DataBar, retailers, Consumer Packaged Goods(CPG), manufacturers, and coupon clearing houses faced many challenges implementing the new specifications. Mis-coded coupons are a costly liability for manufacturers in the form of unintended redemptions, clearinghouse fines and customer dissatisfaction.

Fox Wyndrum Associates, Inc. experts were engaged to design and develop an online tool for coupon producers to quickly verify GS! DataBar redemption values before distribution, saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars on mis-redemptions.

The Challenges

In the US, coupons are a significant business. Unfortunately, it had been limited by constraints around old coupon guidelines and bar code structures that did not support complex consumer offers. The GS1, a global non-profit that develops and maintain global standards for business communication, developed and issued the new data structure, but it was left to stakeholders to implement the new standard. Industry leaders in the retail, CPG manufacturing, and coupon clearing space formed the Joint Industry Coupon Council (JICC) with the GS1-US to devise a coupon application guideline that would form the foundation of coupon creation and processing across their shared systems.

In the course of developing a verification tool that would mimic point-of-sale interpretation, Fox Wyndrum Associates, Inc. played an integral role in the development of industry standards and protocols for the adoption of the GS1 Coupon DataBar.

The Challenges
The Solution

The Solution

Fox Wyndrum Associates, Inc. had already established its expertise in the field of coupon barcode encoding. Its clients included a coupon family code data distributor, for which it developed a data collections, management, and exchange between CPG manufacturers and retailers. It could also be used to generate the barcodes, and to distribute product, coupon, and family code data to trading partners. Fox Wyndrum experts were well known to JICC members and were asked to participate in the committee’s efforts.

Working with GS1 US and the JICC, Fox Wyndrum’s experts helped to develop and promote the new standard for CPG coupons entitled North American Coupon Application Guideline Using GS1 DataBar (RSS) Expanded Symbols. This standard is used by manufacturers, retailers, point-of-sale system developers, coupon processors and redemption agents to implement this industry-changing effort.

Fox Wyndrum’s experts advanced the GS1 Coupon DataBar initiative by authoring guidelines to be used by point-of-sale systems developers in interpreting and integrating the GS1 DataBar standard into retail transaction processing systems. These guidelines were subsequently adopted and published by the GS1 US to standardize the implementation of the GS1 Coupon DataBar in retail and manufacturer systems in the United States.

Fox Wyndrum’s consultants also designed and executed an industry-wide barcode scanning test to measure the impact of the new GS1 Coupon Databar on retail point of sale processing. The effort included creating test data sets, test packages, data collection and reporting.

With that foundation Fox Wyndrum Associates, Inc. developed the first-of-its-kind portal for manufacturers to quickly verify GS1 DataBar redemption values with its partner organization. Its user clients include some of the largest organizations in the CPG space, including Unilever, Campbell’s, Pepsi, and others.

Fox Wyndrum’s consultants are recognized as leading experts in the GS1 Coupon DataBar Standard. Joan Wyndrum has twice been awarded the Industry Impact Award by the Association of Coupon Professionals (ACP) for her works with retailers, manufacturers and coupon processors in driving the implementation of the GS1 Coupon DataBar. She has made numerous presentations to industry groups and with Lawrence Fox authored widely-distributed white papers on the subject.

Have a unique business need? Tell us about it!

Do you have a process that doesn’t “fit” an off-the-shelf solution? Do you have disparate systems that need time- and money-saving integration? Contact us today by calling 908-791-0100 or using the form below to schedule a FREE, NO-OBLIGATION conversation to discuss your needs .