Executive Summary: Sunrise 2027 is the global GS1 initiative requiring all retail point-of-sale systems to scan 2D barcodes by the end of 2027, replacing the 1D UPC barcodes used for decades. For manufacturers selling through Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, and other major retailers, this transition forces upgrades across labels, print infrastructure, ERP data governance, and GS1 registration. Techfino's Supply Chain Advisory practice helps manufacturers map and execute the joined-up plan Sunrise 2027 demands.
If your products are on the shelves of Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, or any major retailer, a shift is underway that will affect every label you print, every pallet you ship, and every system you rely on to manage inventory. Sunrise 2027 is the global GS1 initiative requiring all retail point-of-sale systems to scan 2D barcodes by the end of 2027, replacing the 1D UPC barcodes that have been on product packaging for decades.
Manufacturers I talk to often start at the same place: they know Sunrise 2027 is coming, but they're not sure what it actually requires, or in what order. So I wrote this four-part series to walk through the answer. Here in Part 1, you'll get the definition of the initiative, the physical label requirements you'll face, and the three systems that have to change. Parts 2, 3, and 4 take the next decisions in turn: the WMS choice, the hardware stack, and the data governance work.
Sunrise 2027 is a GS1 initiative. By the end of 2027, every retail point-of-sale (POS) system must scan 2D barcodes. The 1D UPC barcodes on packaging today are not going away overnight. They are being replaced.
The new standard, GS1 Digital Link, is a 2D barcode (QR code or DataMatrix) that carries a live web URL alongside the structured product data retailers need. Each scan opens both: the product identity, and the data behind it.
Retailers have been pushing for richer product data for years. A traditional 1D UPC tells a scanner one thing: what the product is. A GS1 Digital Link 2D barcode tells a scanner (and a retailer's entire back-end data layer) a great deal more:
Major retailers are deploying Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), digital price tags that update in real time using richer 2D barcode data. The 1D barcode cannot carry that payload, which is why your labels themselves have to change first.
The physical requirements are not optional. Through 2025 and 2026, the working strategy is dual-marking: printing both the 1D and the new 2D barcode on packaging. Older scanners still work. Newer scanners get the full payload. Your products ship to both.
Those are the rules for the labels themselves. The systems that produce them and the data that feeds them have to change too.
A new symbol on the box is not compliance. Three systems have to change before your product lines through retail cleanly:
Sunrise 2027 is not a distant concern. The dual-marking window runs through 2025 and 2026; manufacturers should already be printing both. Full retailer POS readiness is the end of 2027. Brands that wait until 2026 face tight timelines, higher costs, and non-compliance chargebacks.
Techfino's Supply Chain Advisory practice, part of Techfino's NetSuite manufacturing practice, has helped manufacturers through shifts where labels, warehouse systems, ERP data, and retailer relationships have to move together. There is no single-vendor fix for Sunrise 2027. The work is a joined-up plan, not a buying decision. (For context on how connected the supply chain layer can be, see our earlier piece on managing supply chain cost variations.)
The three articles that follow take the next decisions in turn: NetSuite WMS vs RF-Smart in Part 2, the scanning and printing hardware in Part 3, and the data governance work behind digital price tags in Part 4.
Want to know where you stand on Sunrise 2027? Schedule a free assessment with Techfino's Supply Chain Advisory team and find your gaps before your retail partners do.