{"id":3454,"date":"2023-08-30T22:31:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T20:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/ean-express\/what-is-an-ean-barcode-history-structure-and-importance-in-modern-trade\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T16:57:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:57:18","slug":"what-is-an-ean-barcode-history-structure-and-importance-in-modern-trade","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/ean-express\/what-is-an-ean-barcode-history-structure-and-importance-in-modern-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an EAN barcode? History, Structure and Importance in Modern Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<section class=\"section\" id=\"section_1802656673\">\n\t\t<div class=\"section-bg fill\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"container section-title-container\" ><h1 class=\"section-title section-title-normal\"><b aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/b><span class=\"section-title-main\" style=\"color:rgb(255, 255, 255);\">All you need to know about EAN barcodes - History, Functioning and Economic Impact<\/span><b aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/b><\/h1><\/div>\n\n\t<div id=\"text-1088505386\" class=\"text\">\n\t\t\n\n<p>Have you ever imagined how products in stores are identified and tracked with such precision? The key lies in EAN barcodes. EAN, which stands for <g id=\"gid_0\">European Article Number<\/g>, is a worldwide standard for product marking. But how did this revolutionary system come about?   <\/p>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#text-1088505386 {\n  font-size: 1.25rem;\n  line-height: 1.25;\n  text-align: left;\n  color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\n}\n#text-1088505386 > * {\n  color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_1802656673 {\n  padding-top: 30px;\n  padding-bottom: 30px;\n  background-color: rgb(68, 96, 132);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n\t<section class=\"section\" id=\"section_2076098920\">\n\t\t<div class=\"section-bg fill\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-bg-overlay absolute fill\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"row row-large align-middle\"  id=\"row-1062686956\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-614195680\" class=\"col hide-for-small medium-3 small-12 large-3\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_1528073485\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1-400x400.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1-400x400.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1-280x280.webp 280w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1-247x247.webp 247w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1-100x100.webp 100w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapter1.webp 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_1528073485 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t<div id=\"col-2063817504\" class=\"col medium-9 small-12 large-9\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-left\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2>History of EAN barcodes<\/h2>\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/ean-express\/what-is-an-ean-barcode-history-structure-and-importance-in-modern-trade\/history-of-ean-codes-evolution-of-barcodes-and-impact-on-inventory-management\/\"> history of EAN (European Article Number) barcodes <\/a>began in the 1970s. Designed to meet the growing needs of the retail industry, they quickly gained in popularity and became an international standard. Their introduction marked a turning point in the way companies managed inventories and transactions.  <\/p>\n<h3>Precursors and Innovation<\/h3>\n<p>Before EAN barcodes, inventory systems were mainly manual, slow and error-prone. The introduction of barcodes automated these processes, increasing efficiency and accuracy. <\/p>\n<h3>Global Expansion<\/h3>\n<p>The EAN system was quickly adopted worldwide, standardizing retailing and inventory management processes across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_2076098920 {\n  padding-top: 20px;\n  padding-bottom: 20px;\n}\n#section_2076098920 .section-bg-overlay {\n  background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n\t<section class=\"section\" id=\"section_1066617296\">\n\t\t<div class=\"section-bg fill\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-bg-overlay absolute fill\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"row row-large align-middle\"  id=\"row-1794475602\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1919852200\" class=\"col medium-9 small-12 large-9\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-left\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2>How EAN barcodes work<\/h2>\n<p>Understanding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/ean-express\/what-is-an-ean-barcode-history-structure-and-importance-in-modern-trade\/unpacking-the-structure-of-ean-codes-a-journey-to-the-heart-of-product-identification\/\">how EAN barcodes work<\/a> is essential to appreciating their ingenuity and usefulness in modern commerce.<\/p>\n<h3>Composition of an EAN barcode<\/h3>\n<p>An EAN barcode is made up of bars and spaces of different widths representing numbers. These codes can vary in length, but the most common are the EAN-13 and EAN-8 formats. <\/p>\n<h3>The Reading and Decoding Process<\/h3>\n<p>Barcodes are read by scanners which use light to decode the information they contain. This data is then transmitted to computer systems for processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1433266087\" class=\"col hide-for-small medium-3 small-12 large-3\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_839527079\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2-400x400.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2-400x400.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2-280x280.webp 280w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2-247x247.webp 247w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2-100x100.webp 100w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre2.webp 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_839527079 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_1066617296 {\n  padding-top: 0px;\n  padding-bottom: 0px;\n}\n#section_1066617296 .section-bg-overlay {\n  background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n\t<section class=\"section\" id=\"section_158032952\">\n\t\t<div class=\"section-bg fill\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-bg-overlay absolute fill\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"row row-large align-middle\"  id=\"row-1063092597\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-184313698\" class=\"col hide-for-small medium-3 small-12 large-3\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_862808281\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3-400x400.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3-400x400.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3-280x280.webp 280w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3-247x247.webp 247w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3-100x100.webp 100w, https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ean-chapitre3.webp 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_862808281 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t<div id=\"col-80307005\" class=\"col medium-9 small-12 large-9\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-left\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<h2>Economic impact of EAN barcodes<\/h2>\n<p>The economic impact of EAN barcodes is considerable, both for companies and for consumers.<\/p>\n<h3>Optimizing Inventory Management<\/h3>\n<p>EAN barcodes enable more accurate inventory management, reducing errors and the costs associated with stocktaking.<\/p>\n<h3>Improving the Purchasing Experience<\/h3>\n<p>For consumers, EAN barcodes facilitate and accelerate the payment process, enhancing the shopping experience.<\/p>\n<h3>Impact on the global economy<\/h3>\n<p>By streamlining retail operations, EAN barcodes have a positive impact on overall economic efficiency, benefiting all market players.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_158032952 {\n  padding-top: 0px;\n  padding-bottom: 0px;\n}\n#section_158032952 .section-bg-overlay {\n  background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n\t<section class=\"section\" id=\"section_1032254307\">\n\t\t<div class=\"section-bg fill\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div id=\"text-1395147667\" class=\"text\">\n\t\t\n\n<p>EAN barcodes have a rich history dating back to the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Their ingenious structure enables precise product identification, simplifying inventory management, speeding up transactions and guaranteeing product safety.<\/p>\n<p>In the world of modern commerce, EAN codes remain an essential pillar on which the smooth and efficient running of businesses depends.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<style>\n#text-1395147667 {\n  font-size: 1.25rem;\n  line-height: 1;\n  text-align: left;\n  color: rgb(249, 249, 249);\n}\n#text-1395147667 > * {\n  color: rgb(249, 249, 249);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-413565436\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-2106775926\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<a href=\"\/\" class=\"button secondary is-large\" style=\"padding:10px 20px 10px 20px;\">\n\t\t<span>Click here to get EAN codes in 3 minutes<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_1032254307 {\n  padding-top: 30px;\n  padding-bottom: 30px;\n  background-color: rgb(68, 96, 132);\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-394121358\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1029078336\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"accordion\">\n\n\t<div id=\"accordion-1459085805\" class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t<a id=\"accordion-1459085805-label\" class=\"accordion-title plain\" href=\"#accordion-item-are-ean-codes-only-used-in-retail-outlets?\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-1459085805-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle\"><i class=\"icon-angle-down\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>Are EAN codes only used in retail outlets?<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div id=\"accordion-1459085805-content\" class=\"accordion-inner\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-1459085805-label\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<p>No, EAN codes are used in a variety of sectors, including logistics, healthcare and manufacturing, to track and identify products.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"accordion-2415766503\" class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t<a id=\"accordion-2415766503-label\" class=\"accordion-title plain\" href=\"#accordion-item-how-are-ean-codes-assigned-to-products?\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-2415766503-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle\"><i class=\"icon-angle-down\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>How are EAN codes assigned to products?<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div id=\"accordion-2415766503-content\" class=\"accordion-inner\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-2415766503-label\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<p>EAN codes are assigned by country-specific registration bodies, in collaboration with manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"accordion-3893226474\" class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t<a id=\"accordion-3893226474-label\" class=\"accordion-title plain\" href=\"#accordion-item-what&#039;s-the-difference-between-ean-codes-and-qr-codes?\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-3893226474-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle\"><i class=\"icon-angle-down\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>What&#039;s the difference between EAN codes and QR codes?<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div id=\"accordion-3893226474-content\" class=\"accordion-inner\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-3893226474-label\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<p>EAN codes are mainly used for product identification, while QR codes can contain more varied information, such as links to websites.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"accordion-4060709132\" class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t<a id=\"accordion-4060709132-label\" class=\"accordion-title plain\" href=\"#accordion-item-can-ean-codes-be-modified-or-reused-for-other-products?\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-4060709132-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle\"><i class=\"icon-angle-down\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>Can EAN codes be modified or reused for other products?<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div id=\"accordion-4060709132-content\" class=\"accordion-inner\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-4060709132-label\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<p>Each EAN code is unique and should not be reused for other products. Modifying an EAN code could lead to confusion in traceability. <\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"accordion-3431588578\" class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t<a id=\"accordion-3431588578-label\" class=\"accordion-title plain\" href=\"#accordion-item-will-ean-codes-be-replaced-by-new-technologies-in-the-future?\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-3431588578-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle\"><i class=\"icon-angle-down\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>Will EAN codes be replaced by new technologies in the future?<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div id=\"accordion-3431588578-content\" class=\"accordion-inner\" aria-labelledby=\"accordion-3431588578-label\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<p>Although new technologies such as RFID are gaining in popularity, EAN codes are still widely used and should continue to play an important role in product management.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":885,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3454","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3454"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3456,"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3454\/revisions\/3456"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ean-express.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}