Scan the barcode.
The expiry date types itself.
GS1 DataMatrix and QR codes already carry the batch number and expiry date. ShelfLifePro reads them straight into receiving, camera or scanner gun, ready for the 2D barcode transition.
Phone or webcam camera· Any 2D-capable USB scanner gun
What lives inside a 2D barcode
A 1D barcode says what the product is. A GS1 2D barcode also says which batch it is and when it dies, via standard Application Identifiers.
AI (01)
GTIN
The product identity, what the item is
AI (10)
Batch / lot number
Fills your batch field, no typing
AI (17)
Expiry date
Fills your expiry field, no typing
AI (21)
Serial number
Unit-level identity on serialized packs
The 2D switch is already underway
Three forces put batch and expiry data on the pack. Most software ignores all of them.
GS1 Sunrise 2027
GS1’s industry transition aims for retail POS to be capable of scanning 2D barcodes, QR with GS1 Digital Link or GS1 DataMatrix, by the end of 2027. It is a capability milestone, not a mandate, and brands are already dual-printing. The batch and expiry data inside those codes is free, if your software reads it.
DSCSA serialized packs
Every salable pharmaceutical unit in the US carries a GS1 DataMatrix with NDC, serial number, lot, and expiry. Pharmacies already scan it for compliance; ShelfLifePro makes the same scan fill your inventory batch records, so compliance work and stock accuracy stop being separate jobs.
Scan to goods receipt, in three steps
The flow is the feature: the data on the pack becomes the data in your system, without a keyboard in between.
Scan the pack
Point a phone or webcam camera at the 2D code, or zap it with a USB scanner gun, right inside the goods receipt screen.
The barcode is decoded
ShelfLifePro reads the GS1 Application Identifiers inside the code: GTIN, batch number, expiry date, serial where present.
The receipt line fills itself
Product matched, batch and expiry populated. You confirm the quantity and move to the next line. Typing becomes the exception, not the workflow.
No 2D code on the pack? Nothing breaks: scan the 1D barcode for the product and let supplier-file receiving or invoice OCR fill batch and expiry instead. 2D scanning removes typing wherever the pack carries the data.
Questions
The ones store owners actually ask about 2D barcodes.
Which barcodes does ShelfLifePro scan?
GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 QR / GS1 Digital Link QR, and ordinary 1D barcodes (EAN-13 / UPC-A). 1D codes identify the product only; 2D codes additionally carry batch and expiry, which is what kills the typing.
Do I need a special scanner?
No. A phone or laptop camera works out of the box. If you receive at volume, any 2D-capable USB scanner gun (most models sold today) types straight into the same field.
What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?
A GS1-led industry transition: by the end of 2027, retail point-of-sale systems should be capable of scanning 2D barcodes (QR with GS1 Digital Link, or GS1 DataMatrix). It is a capability milestone, not a mandate, and 1D barcodes remain valid alongside 2D during the transition.
What happens when a pack has no 2D barcode?
Everything still works the way it does today: scan the 1D barcode to identify the product, then enter batch and expiry manually, or skip both and let supplier-file receiving or invoice OCR fill them. 2D scanning removes typing where the data exists on the pack; it is never a requirement.
Does this help with audits and recalls?
Yes. Because batch and expiry come off the pack itself rather than a keyboard, your batch records match the physical stock, which is exactly what a lot-level trace or recall pull needs.
Go deeper
The background reading, written for store owners, not standards bodies.
Your packs already carry the data.
Start a free trial, scan a pack, and watch the batch and expiry fields fill themselves. Every trial includes the 2-minute waste diagnostic on your own stock.