GS1 postponed DataBar Sunrise date from Jan 1st, 2010 to Jan 1st, 2011, when all the retailers should adopt DataBar barcode at their POS and coupon processing. Although it will become mandatory in 2014, retailers will start sooner than later. Adopting Databar might be easy for manufacturers, but for retailers it will be hectic and time and resource consuming. They have to replace their cheap scanners with expensive scanners that scan DataBar barcodes, which can add up to their total expense. They also have to update the current software and database in their POS systems.

However, adopting DataBar can also boost retailers and manufacturers sales and help them to grow. New coupon codes can be an ideal situation. Manufacturers and retailers have been drawing customer attentions by using coupons. Manufacturers can give coupons to end customers in many different ways without the interaction of retailers. Retailers will also avoid hassles with coupon processing.

In addition to coupons, fresh food industries are also rolling out GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked barcodes to encode more data in a single barcode. Fresh food can be labeled as organic or processed, and information such as production date, weight, expiration date and production place, can be placed in one single barcode. Small products like chewing gums, apples and lipsticks can also get advantage of smaller DataBar Omnidirectional barcodes.

With all these great features with DataBar, it’s just a matter of time when DataBar becomes the official barcode system in retail industry. As for coupon, people have already started using the DataBar Interim Coupon format (UPC-A plus DataBar Expended Stacked) and will continue to use it in parallel with the DataBar Final Coupon format (pure DataBar Expended Stacked).