Australian brand owners selling online in China are being encouraged to adopt GS1 standards on the back of an announcement by Alibaba Group, GS1 and GS1 China.
The three parties have said that they will work together to standardise product information, and they are calling for Australian brand owners to adopt GS1 standards for product information management and to use the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) for uniquely identifying their products in the online and mobile trading market.
If Alibaba users join the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) for online exchange of product information, Alibaba will be able to receive product and pricing data from brand owners and suppliers via the National Product Catalogue.
Standardised product information will benefit all supply chain participants, including the 423 million active buyers on the Alibaba retail platform in China, according to GS1.
It will help brand owners to manage their supply chain more efficiently, and comply with laws and regulations, according to Maria Palazzolo, CEO at GS1 Australia.
“Consumers today demand transparency in their online transactions. Investing in the GDSN and GS1 standards will provide accurate and complete product information up and down the supply chain,” Palazzolo said.
“The GDSN will also provide consumers with access to authentic and rich product content, which helps brand integrity and improves the consumer experience in today’s global eCommerce industry.”
All of Alibaba Group's eCommerce trading platforms will actively expand the application scenarios of the GS1 standards and use the GTIN as the product identifier, according to GS1. This will be provided to brand owners in key links including product exhibition, information presentation, quality verification and shopping experience.
To promote the standardisation of product information, Alibaba Group will carry out the GDSN project in stages.
In stage 1, brand owners in the categories of Health Food, Maternal and Child, Beauty and Make-up, Personal Care will be invited to join the project. Alibaba Group will identify the products with GTINs to obtain the product information of the international brand owners, and thereafter, by leveraging GTINs, populate all pre-packaged categories.
Local companies interested in finding out more are invited to attend a free event co-hosted by GS1 Australia, Alibaba and Austrade in Melbourne on Thursday 13th October from 8:30am to 10:30am.
Attendees will hear from GS1 Australia experts and high profile speakers including Maggie Zhou, Managing Director – Australia & New Zealand, Alibaba Group, James Hudson, Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing – Australia & New Zealand, Alibaba Group, Chuyang Liu, China Adviser, International Operations, Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), and Mark Kealy Manager, Industry Programs, Economic Development, Employment and Innovation Group, Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR).
The speakers will cover how the Alibaba Group is structured, how companies can access the Chinese market via the Alibaba Group network, and the importance of providing traceability data in today’s global eCommerce landscape.
Register here.
