Shopify merchants whose products use GS-128 barcodes can bring GS-128 scanning directly into their warehouse fulfillment workflow with GroovePacker.

Shopify can store product barcode information and supports barcode scanning, including GS-128 scanning in certain Shopify POS workflows. Warehouse fulfillment, though, often needs more than just identifying the product.

A GS-128 barcode can hold product identification along with traceability information such as lot numbers, serial numbers, expiration dates, manufacturing dates, and other product data. GroovePacker integrates with Shopify to use that information during scan-and-pack fulfillment, for product verification, quality control, and traceability.

How GS-128 Barcodes Work With Shopify

Unlike a standard UPC, a GS-128 barcode can hold several pieces of information in a single scan. For example:

(01)40614141006364(15)220101(10)A1B2C3D4

This barcode contains:

  • 01 – GTIN identifier
  • 40614141006364 – the 14-digit GTIN
  • 15 – best buy date identifier
  • 220101 – the best buy date
  • 10 – lot or batch identifier
  • A1B2C3D4 – the lot number

The GTIN-14 identifies the product. Everything else in the barcode can change from one batch or unit to the next, which is why the GTIN, not the full GS-128 string, is the value you'll associate with the Shopify product.

Step 1: Save the GTIN in Shopify

Shopify has a standard Barcode field at the product variant level, and it accepts values like UPCs and GTINs. That means the GTIN-14 inside a GS-128 barcode can go directly into that field. Depending on how your GS-128 data is formatted, you might see it a few different ways.

You may see just the GTIN:

(01)40614141006364

Or the GTIN with additional traceability data attached:

(01)40614141006364(17)270101(10)A1B2C3D4

Or the same data without parentheses:

01406141410063641727010110A1B2C3D4

Whatever format it's in, the Shopify Barcode field should hold only the 14-digit GTIN:

40614141006364

The rest of the GS-128 barcode carries the dynamic information, like the lot number, serial number, or expiration date, that can differ from one product or batch to the next.

Step 2: Connect Shopify With GroovePacker

GroovePacker integrates with Shopify and brings your Shopify orders into the GroovePacker fulfillment workflow. Shopify stays your ecommerce and order management platform; GroovePacker becomes the scanning and verification layer your warehouse team uses to fulfill those orders. If your operation already runs on Shopify, you don't need to replace it to fully utilize GS-128 barcodes.

Step 3: Scan the Full GS-128 Barcode During Fulfillment

When someone on your warehouse team scans a GS-128 barcode in GroovePacker, the system recognizes the barcode's structure and looks for Application Identifier 01, which marks the GTIN.

If the scanner outputs:

01406141410063641522010110A1B2C3D4

GroovePacker extracts:

40614141006364

and uses that GTIN to verify the product against what's expected on the Shopify order. Verifying the product and recording its traceability data both happen in that one scan.

Step 4: Capture GS-128 Traceability Data

Once the GTIN is verified, GroovePacker can also pull the other supported data out of that same barcode, including:

  • Lot numbers
  • Batch numbers
  • Serial numbers
  • Manufacturing dates
  • Best buy dates
  • Expiration dates

For example, this barcode:

(01)40614141006364(21)SN-12345-ABC

contains both the product's GTIN and its serial number. GroovePacker uses the GTIN to verify the correct Shopify product is being packed, while recording the serial number tied to that specific item. The same workflow applies to supported lot numbers, batch numbers, expiration dates, manufacturing dates, and best buy dates.

GS-128 Scanning for Shopify Warehouse Fulfillment

Shopify already gives you a place to store the product's GTIN. GroovePacker builds on that by bringing GS-128 interpretation and data capture into the warehouse scan-and-pack workflow. A typical setup looks like this:

  1. Save the product's 14-digit GTIN in Shopify's variant Barcode field.
  2. Connect Shopify with GroovePacker.
  3. Import Shopify orders into GroovePacker.
  4. Scan the full GS-128 barcode during fulfillment.
  5. GroovePacker extracts and verifies the GTIN.
  6. GroovePacker captures the additional supported GS-128 values for traceability and reporting.
  7. Export order data for a selected date range to help with a recall based on lot number, batch ID, or other captured data.

This keeps Shopify as your ecommerce and order management platform, while adding a fulfillment workflow built around the information already encoded in your GS-128 product barcodes.

If your Shopify products use GS-128 barcodes and you'd like help setting up your scan-and-pack workflow, contact the GroovePacker Support Team.