Why do future products need an "ID code"

Only when a product has an identity can the record be returned.

In the past, many people understood product information mainly based on packaging, details pages, evaluations and customer service instructions. As long as goods can be displayed, ordered, and shipped, it seems that they have been digitized. But in today's e-commerce environment, this method is becoming insufficient.

A product may appear in e-commerce platforms, live broadcast rooms, Short Video content, private domain shopping malls, cross-border independent stations, offline stores and distribution channels at the same time. Goods are copied, forwarded, distributed, and sold twice faster and faster, and the page seen by users may not be the page originally maintained by merchants.

At this time, what the product needs is not just a temporary link, but a sustainably maintained identity record. It is precisely in this context that the value of product identification codes has become increasingly important.

1. The product ID code is not just a QR code

When many people hear "product identification code" for the first time, they will naturally think of QR codes, anti-counterfeiting codes or traceability codes. These understandings all have some truth, but they are not yet complete.

The QR code is a kind of entry point, the anti-counterfeiting code solves the verification problem, and the traceability code solves the source and circulation problem. In the true sense of the product identification code, it should be able to connect basic product information, public records, verification tracks, batch data, evidence materials and subsequent maintenance to the same identity anchor.

In other words, ordinary QR codes solve "opening a page", and product identification codes solve "identifying a product".

There is a big difference between the two. Pages can be changed, links can be disabled, pictures can be moved, and copywriting can be copied. But if a product has a stable identification code, it can maintain the same identifiable entry into the record between different channels, different stages, and different materials.

2. Changes in the e-commerce environment make products need more identity

In the past, the path of commodity sales was relatively simple. Merchants can manage product information through fixed stores, fixed agents or a single e-commerce platform. When consumers see goods, they can often judge the source of the goods through sales channels.

But now, the circulation path of a commodity has become more complex. A product may be produced in a factory, then entered a brand warehouse, and then distributed to multiple platforms, multiple live broadcast rooms, multiple distributors, and may even enter cross-border sales links.

In this case, if the goods do not have a unified identity entrance, several problems will arise.

First, it is difficult for consumers to check.After users see the product, they may not know whether it comes from regular channels, nor whether the information they see when scanning the code corresponds to the real product record.

Second, businesses are difficult to maintain.If product information, batch descriptions, testing materials, authorization documents and after-sales records are scattered in different systems, subsequent updates and management will become difficult.

Third, the channel is difficult to continue.Once a product is circulated across platforms, the original details page, activity page or inquiry page may become invalid, but the identity record of the product itself still needs to exist for a long time.

Therefore, the focus of product digitalization in the future is not just to make products "displayed online", but to make products "continuously identifiable".

3. From code to identity, from page to record

Many products already have anti-counterfeiting codes, traceability codes, batch codes, serial numbers, tag codes or old QR codes. These codes are not worthless; on the contrary, they are the early basis for the digitization of goods.

However, traditional coding usually only solves a single problem, such as checking for authenticity, preventing cross-border goods, conducting marketing activities or entering after-sales pages. With the increasing number of product information, it has become difficult to complete product records through single point inquiries.

A more reasonable direction is to uniformly map the old historical codes that have been accessed into new product identity records. In this way, the original anti-counterfeiting code, traceability code, batch code and old QR code do not need to be discarded immediately, and merchants do not need to reprint all packaging immediately.

This is the meaning of "from code to identity": instead of simply adding a new code, the originally scattered codes, pages and materials are gradually classified into the same main line of product identity.

From code to identity, from page to record, from display to evidence, this will become an important direction for product digitization in the future.

4. Three problems that the product ID code really solves

1. Who is this product?

The product identification code must first point to a clear product record. This record can be associated with the product name, brand, model, batch, serial number, picture, public description and merchant entity information.

When consumers scan the code, they should not only see a promotional copy, but should know which product, which batch, or which type of product they are checking.

2. What are the records of this product?

After goods enter the market, code scanning records, verification records, batch records, maintenance records, evidence materials and data updates will be generated. If this information is not accepted with a unified identity, it will be difficult to form a continuous and credible record in the future.

The value of product identification codes lies in allowing these scattered information to gradually precipitate around the same identity anchor.

3. What can different characters see?

Not all product information is suitable for disclosure. Consumers need to see public information, merchants need to maintain business information, partners may need to view authorization documents, testing data or delivery records, and some more sensitive information requires hierarchical access.

A professional product identity system should support the coexistence of public records and controlled data, rather than simply stacking all content on the same page.

5. PID is the identity base, and DPP is the data layer

In the product structure of GEXYRAL, PID is more like the identity base of a product, which is used to undertake basic product information, public records, code scanning verification, historical old code access and unified analysis.

DPP continues to maintain data, evidence, access ratings and machine-readable content based on product identity. It does not simply replace PID, nor does it generate a separate display page, but continues to expand the data layer on top of the product identity record.

Simply put, PID first solves "who is this product", and DPP continues to solve "what information on this product can be viewed by different roles."

This structure is more suitable for small and medium-sized businesses to gradually build their product digitization capabilities. Merchants can start with the product identification code to make the product searchable, verifiable, and maintainable; when the business requires more complete data management, they can further supplement lightweight DPP data, evidence documents, access ratings and machine-readable content.

6. Future commodity competition is also a credible record of competition

Future commodity competition will not only look at price, packaging and evaluation. Especially with cross-border trade, branding operations, supply chain collaboration and data requirements constantly increasing, whether goods can be explained, whether they can be checked, and whether data can be continuously maintained will become increasingly important.

If a product only has temporary details pages, the information can easily break. The details page can be changed, the activity page can be removed, and the platform link may also be invalid.

But if a product has an identification code, and this identification code can be connected to public records, verification traces and data layers, it is no longer just a displayed product, but a digital product object that can be continuously maintained.

This is especially important for small and medium-sized businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses may not necessarily need complex systems from the beginning, but they can start with the product ID code: first make the product searchable, then make the records maintainable, then make the data archived, and finally gradually expand to lightweight DPP, evidence package, hierarchical access and more integration capabilities based on business needs.

7. What capabilities should a professional product identification code have?

First, unified analysis.It should support platforms PID, DPP numbers, GS1 Digital Link, GTIN, security codes, traceability codes, batch codes, serial numbers and connected historical old codes.

Second, make public inquiries.Consumers can view public identity records, verification tracks and publicly available information through the product identification code.

Third, continuous maintenance.Merchants can continuously update product information, batch descriptions, pictures, evidence materials and access rights around the same product identity.

Fourth, data extension.When products require more complete data management, you can continue to maintain the lightweight DPP data layer based on PID.

Fifth, the boundaries are clear.The platform can help merchants organize and display data, but the preparation of data should not be directly expressed as official certification, official endorsement or absolute compliance conclusions.

Conclusion: Goods need identity because trust requires entry

The value of a product ID code does not lie in having one more QR code, but in allowing the product to have a sustainably maintained identity record.

As the circulation of commodities becomes more and more complex, user inquiries become more and more dispersed, and merchant information becomes more and more, commodities need a unified entrance to undertake public records, verification trajectories, and data layers.

Future products will not only be sold, but will also be queried, verified, explained and continuously maintained. Only when a product has an identity can the record be returned; a product has an identity record that can be maintained sustainably. This is the true meaning of the product identification code.