Barcodes are unique codes used to identify products from one another. They are used as a reference point to associate product details, and distinguish one product from another. Maropost Commerce products have fields to store barcode information, to be used in many different applications.
In this Article
Barcode Types
There are several barcode types you may encounter depending on the type of products you sell. The most common ones are:
- UPC (Universal product code)
- EAN (European Article Number)
- ISBN (International standard book number)
You may also see the term GTIN (global trade item numbers). This is a general catch-all term to include any barcode type.
Barcodes in Maropost Commerce
Maropost Commerce has the capacity to store barcodes against your products. You’ll find these fields in the Warehouse & Picking section of the product page, labelled UPC/EAN.
Barcodes can be added to products either individually, or in bulk through the product import wizard. You can also generate a random barcode in these fields, however they are not real UPC/EANs. They won’t relate to your product details outside of Maropost Commerce, and may cause products to list incorrectly on Amazon and Catch. Instead, they're intended for products that don't have an official barcode, so that you can generate barcode labels for the Pick'n Pack add-on.
Many Maropost Commerce features can take advantage of product barcodes:
- Scan barcodes in Maropost Commerce POS to add products to a sale or return.
- Scan barcodes in Maropost Commerce Pick’n Pack to mark orderlines as picked.
- Scan barcodes in Maropost Commerce Inventory to mark orderlines on a purchase order as received.
- Catch and Amazon require a barcode to list products in their marketplaces.
- Barcode labels can be printed to be applied to products or storage and make stock management easier.
Barcodes in Online Marketplaces
It’s becoming increasingly common for online marketplaces to require a barcode identifier when listing products.
Amazon and Catch require a barcode to match products to their catalogue, to ensure consistency of product data. eBay has also introduced a similar function across some product ranges.
In all cases, you must use the registered product barcode that applies to the product you’re listing. Maropost Commerce generated barcodes will not work, and may cause incorrect data to be displayed.
Purchase Barcodes
If you produce your own range of products you can purchase barcodes for them so that they can be uniquely identified. GS1 can provide barcodes for almost any country in the world, and are recommended by Amazon.