The origins: the UPC code (1974)
The first barcode to be officially scanned at a checkout was on 26 June 1974, at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was a packet of Wrigley’s chewing gum bearing a UPC (Universal Product Code), the American predecessor of the EAN code.
The introduction of the EAN standard (1977)
In response to the success of the UPC, European manufacturers created the European Article Number in 1977 — a 13-digit system (compared to the UPC’s 12 digits) designed to code products on a global scale. The body responsible for managing it, EAN International, merged in 2005 with the US-based Uniform Code Council to form GS1, the current international standard.
The boom in the retail sector
In the 1980s and 1990s, the widespread introduction of EAN codes in hypermarkets accelerated the digitisation of logistics. Every product became traceable, scannable and automatically restockable.
The age of e-commerce
With the rise of Amazon.co.uk, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, EAN codes have become a prerequisite for selling online — see our dedicated article on importance des codes EAN en e-commerce.
Today
Over 6 billion EAN codes are scanned every day around the world. The standard is used in over 70 countries and has been expanded to include variants (EAN-8, GTIN-14, GS1 QR Code) to suit all commercial contexts. To understand ‘la structure d'un code EAN-13’, read our dedicated article.