CONSUMER
How to reaffirm the online branding message One challenge for businesses moving their products online is to make their products stand out from the competition. GS1 Australia is helping them do that every day, explains Food & Beverage Industry News.
G
S1 Australia offers a range of services to brands, some aimed at helping them navigate the intricacies of online retailing. As business start to move away from traditional retail brick and mortar outlets towards online business models, there needs to be a smart marketing strategy to help both brands and consumers navigate through to outcomes that will meet both of their needs. GS1 realises that it is important to support companies moving into this arena and that digital images and content are important tools in selling their products. Mark Blitenthall is GS1’s manager of service engagement and is leading the charge in terms of getting a new offering into the marketplace. GS1 Australia, is the not-for-
profit organisation responsible for administering barcodes in Australia, and has been a long-term supporter of industry with services like barcode verification, which involves brand owners submitting product barcodes for testing to ensure that their products will scan at point of sale. “More recently we’ve been offering additional services, including imaging capabilities via GS1 photography,” said Blitenthall. “The service also offers other things such as content creation, where we curate the information that is on a product’s packaging. We provide the brand’s information to the retailers in an electronic format so they’ve not only got the product image, but all the information that goes with that image on the product.
30 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2020 | www.foodmag.com.au
“Consumers can look up the product based on its description, and be presented with a range of other information about the product such as the allergens it might contain. As people become more conscious of the food they consume, they are looking for particular ingredients, so it’s important for food brands to provide this information. Consumer expectations are evolving too, so people keep expecting more information on ingredients.” GS1 starts with the foundation of making a product traceable and sharing supply chain information using the barcode. This new service has evolved to having an image associated with the product, and supplementing the supply chain data with information that is of interest to the product’s end consumers.
“Many companies that GS1 Australia works with initially come to them to get a barcode. “Then they’ll realise there are other things they need to do, like developing a working relationship with their trading partners,” said Blitenthall. “The retailer will recommend providing information about the product in order to facilitate its movement through the supply chain. It’s at this point that GS1 can assist brand owners to provide all of the additional information that retailers require in order to support the process of getting their product to market. “We also proactively reach out to our members to discuss their business needs with a view to providing as much support as we can. One of the solutions we provide to them is the photography
