GS1 US® has released a new guideline that will provide retail grocery trading partners with a resource for standardizing image capture, naming and sharing. The guideline, titled “Product Images Application Guideline for the Retail Grocery Industry,” was developed by the GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative Product Information and Images Workgroup, comprised of retailers, manufacturers, distributors and solution providers working to address product information and image sharing challenges by applying GS1 Standards.

To reduce inefficiencies and provide consumers as well as trading partners with much needed product image consistency, GS1 US brought industry stakeholders and experts together to develop recommendations for how to apply existing GS1 Standards to retail grocery digital product images for e-commerce, in-store promotions, advertising and supply chain purposes.

The guideline is organized into three sections: general guidelines, a style guide and instructions for publishing images in the Global Data Synchronization Network™ (GDSN®), a standardized network of continuously updated product information. Additionally, the style guide outlines recommendations for images in multiple applications, including on-shelf display, e-commerce, catalogs, marketing, packaging, barcodes, nutritional panels and more. Through the guideline, industry stakeholders are provided with definitions, business process standards and real world examples of proper usage and improper usage.

“Images now play an increasingly significant role in purchasing decisions, as consumers expect access to consistent, complete and accurate product information via digital platforms. However, sharing images between trading partners has become challenging due to conflicting requirements in the marketplace,” says Angela Fernandez, vice president of retail grocery and foodservice, GS1 US. “The Product Image Application Guideline will help streamline the image sharing process and provide industry with the ability to link marketing and sales efforts to GS1 Standards, improving the digital customer experience with clear and consistent imagery.”

The guideline is available at www.gs1us.org/grocery-image-guide. Other resources developed by the Product Information and Images Workgroup also include the GDSN Retail Grocery Attributes Interactive Spreadsheet Tool, which is designed to help companies understand and use product attributes for successfully sharing product information via the GDSN.