GS1US
Document
Name
GS1
Apparel and
General Merchandise Initiative
2016
Year
In Review
Second
Line
If Needed
Optional Description Subhead
As we complete 2016, the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative would like to recognize
the contributions of our members and acknowledge the continued progress in driving efficiency and
visibility improvements across the retail value chain. Highlights of the key 2016 achievements are listed
below.
Industry Enablers
With a focus towards helping the retail industry through the use of GS1 Standards, tools and resources,
we created and delivered these key enablers / results:
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The GS1 US EPC User Memory Encoder/Decoder tool, used by 4,600+ new users.
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The GS1 US Solution Providers for the Retail Sector > who can help web resource (to help retail
industry members find suppliers of products, solutions and services who work with GS1 Standards
and can assist in their implementation) - used by 450+ companies.
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A new apparel and general merchandise-focused education library in the GS1 US University
Learning Management System - training almost 1,400 new contacts.
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The tri-annual RFID newsletter (featuring a selection of industry-specific educational resources and
tools to help our community increase the adoption and use of GS1 Standards and standards-based
solutions) - read by 6,000+ industry members.
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The GS1 Connect® 2016 conference hosted almost 1,400 cross-industry attendees, who came
together to learn how the GS1 System of Standards can help them meet today’s business
challenges and unlock tomorrow’s opportunities.
Awareness & Thought Leadership
Leveraging critical-mass industry forums and communication vehicles, we helped promote industry
thought leadership across all of the Initiative’s major focus areas: delivering on the omni-channel
promise, improving product safety and regulatory compliance, and enhancing source-to-consumer
efficiency, effectiveness and visibility—examples and results include:
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Hosting the “GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise - What's new in Industry” open forum
discussion at the Spring RVCF Conference - 22 companies in attendance.
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Presenting an RFID Industry Update to a packed room at the Spring RFID Journal LIVE conference drawing 150+ attendees.
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Hosting a Product Images and Data Attributes Roundtable at GS1 Connect 2016 - pulling in 50+
attendees.
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Increasing digital engagement across our web and social platforms – generating 40,000+ unique
retail industry web site visitors, growing our LinkedIn Group membership by 17%+ and boosting
our Initiative’s LinkedIn Company page followers by 15%+.
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Speaking at 10+ industry and partner conferences and virtual web-based events, including an
enhanced presence at GS1 Connect 2016, NRF’s Big Show 2016, RILA Supply Chain Conference,
© 2017 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative
2016 Year In Review
GS1 Industry and Standards Conference, RVCF, RFID Journal LIVE, RAIN RFID Alliance,
Inforum/Bridges Conference, Enterprise World OpenText, D3 Conference, Dillard’s Vendor
Conference, CSCMP Conference, Internet of Retail Conference, RFID Journal’s RFID in Retail &
Apparel event and Earley Information Science Roundtable webinar. (Speakers included GS1 US and
Initiative member representatives.)
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Guest lecturing at several prestigious universities, including: Temple University, Auburn University,
Penn State University, The Univ of Georgia, Terry College of Business, and Rider University.
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Driving awareness through media coverage on topics ranging from how to leverage RFID to best
practices for exchanging extended attributes to industry collaboration - totaling 40 placements,
which included 15 thought leadership features in Forbes, Supply & Demand Executive, Sourcing
Journal, Apparel Magazine, RVCF Link, Inbound Logistics, Supply Chain Brain, Supply Chain
Quarterly, and Total Retail.
GS1 Standards Adoption & Usage
To help our community increase the adoption and use of GS1 Standards and standards-based solutions,
the Initiative Workgroups collaborated to deliver these key assets (and their corresponding results):
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The GS1 US E-Commerce Fulfillment Guideline R1.0 – since being published in May, this guideline
has become the 5th most linked to item of the gs1us.org website and has been downloaded 2,000+
times
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The Transition from Clear to Black Hangers paper – 1,400+ downloads.
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The GS1 US Guidelines for the Routing Guide – 1,200+ downloads.
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The GS1 US Retailer Attributes Requirements Matrix was updated to include Boscov’s, Bon-Ton,
LIDS Sports Group and Stage Stores – 850+ downloads.
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The GS1 US Voluntary Guidelines for Hanger Specifications for Floor-Ready Merchandise R6.0 –
1,500+ downloads.
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Developed two new leader awareness template letters to help retailer and supplier team members
encourage intra-organizational adoption of standards-based images and attributes at the executive
level:
□ Supplier-focused, “Making a Case for Using Product Information Standards” – 500+ downloads.
□ Retailer-focused, “Helping Bridge the Product Information Gap to Meet Consumer Demand” –
400+ downloads.
At GS1 US, we are committed to providing leadership to help industry identify business challenges and
opportunities, and find GS1 Standards-based solutions. We are proud to provide a forum that helps the
retail industry work toward an even more efficient and more innovative supply chain.
As we look forward to 2017, the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative will continue to
partner with industry on developing standards-based solutions to support the delivery of these unified
commerce retail strategies: content acquisition (attribution and accuracy), data quality and governance
(accuracy, completeness and consistency), flexible omni-channel fulfillment, location-based inventory
accuracy, anti-counterfeit strategies, EPC-enabled item level RFID for electronic proof of delivery,
Internet of Things, channel integration, and item level RFID as an enabler of real-time inventory
visibility. The Initiative will continue to build industry awareness, provide education, and drive adoption
of GS1 Standards through internally developed programs as well as strategic partnerships with industry
associations, academic institutions, and GS1 member organizations around the world.
© 2017 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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