Frequently asked questions
What is Verified by GS1?
The GS1 Registries are a set of global, neutral and trusted registries managed by GS1 offering companies and trading partners access to foundational information about products, locations and companies identified with a GS1 identifier. All of this data from the GS1 Registries is accessible through a service called Verified by GS1.
With the Verified by GS1 service, you can verify the identity and ownership of any GS1 identifier – product, company, and location – thanks to basic data provided by the data owner that can be accessed openly and globally.
Data about GS1-issued identity within the GS1 Registries is trusted because it is sourced directly from the owner of those GS1 identification keys. Data providers (brand owners, manufacturers, distributors) can upload data about products, locations and companies into the GS1 Registries by using the Activate-grade services (including capabilities to upload data via an interface or API) offered by their local GS1 Member Organisations.
Companies, globally, can access the GS1 Registries by querying through the Verified by GS1 service to verify product, company and location identification and receive an answer to the following questions:
Is the number a properly structured GS1 number?
Has the number been issued by GS1?
To which company is the number licenced?
Does the licence data match data in your systems?
Does the GTIN/GLN data match data in your systems?
Is there other data that I can connect to?
The answers to each of these questions ultimately provides companies with confidence about what product, company, and location is registered to a GS1 number.
What kind of information does Verified by GS1 return?
With the Verified by GS1 service, you can verify the identity and ownership of any GS1 identifier – product, company, and location – thanks to basic data provided by the data owner that can be accessed openly and globally.
The most basic information that Verified by GS1 can almost always provide is information about the company that has licenced numbering from GS1 anywhere around the world. Generally, we find that this level of data is often enough for many marketplaces to validate that a particular new product listing is related to the right data that already exists in their own catalogues. This basic information is also often useful to companies wishing to understand what company “owns” a certain product (or may have once produced that product many years ago), even if deeper information about the specific product isn’t available in our registries.
The second level of information that can often be provided is core information about a specific product, place or company. This data is normally limited to a handful of very foundational pieces of information that would be enough to, for example, ensure that a specific GS1-issued number is what your business thinks that it is. This is useful when your company is onboarding products that are new to your catalogues or when your company is looking to add simple validations to some of your business messaging, invoicing or shipping processes.
The third level of information that can be provided to you and your trading partners is links to other sources of data. The opportunities with this level of information are almost limitless. If you or your trading partners provide authoritative links to where they keep their data about their products and facilities, your business can get these links and use them to source additional information that can differentiate your business from your competition. Such links can get you to sustainability data, information about recalls, certifications of production facilities or farms or fields…and more. We believe that 90% of the product and location data that is shared today could be shared in lower-friction ways and at an increased scale than current data sharing mechanisms -- allowing for and creating a “links ecosystem” is one very powerful way to accelerate into that future.
Who are the users of Verified by GS1?
Verified by GS1 is used by industry organisations and government entities who need trusted, quality data to efficiently do business with their partners, specifically:
Brand owners who need a single way to confirm product and company identity to their business partners.
Retailers and marketplaces who need to be sure the products they sell are what they think they are, including the company that owns the product and the locations where the product and its upstream components have been throughout the supply chain.
Government entities who rely on trusted data about products, locations, and companies to streamline processes and drive accuracy.
What business challenges does Verified by GS1 address
With the Verified by GS1 service, you can verify the identity and ownership of any GS1 identifier – product, company, and location – thanks to basic data provided by the data owner that can be accessed openly and globally.
As a single, trusted source of verifiable product, company and location information, Verified by GS1 creates greater efficiency and trust amongst business partners and government entities, specifically:
Accurate product information enhances the buying experience and drives consumer trust (for example, clean product catalogue, reduced counterfeits).
Accurate company information ensures the company you are working with is who you think it is, increasing trust throughout the ecosystem.
Accurate location information helps to support supply chain visibility, enabling solutions for traceability, compliance, and ethical sourcing – driving transparency and trust both within organisations and with outside business partners.
