GS1 US Simple Product Listing Standard (Release 0.9)
INTRODUCTION & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
CONTENTS
1
Background ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2
The GS1 US Simple Product Listing Standard............................................................................................ 4
3
How the SPL Standard is Managed ............................................................................................................ 5
4
Basic Components of SPL .......................................................................................................................... 5
4.1
Segments ............................................................................................................................................ 5
4.2
Product Types ..................................................................................................................................... 6
4.3
Inclusionary Terms .............................................................................................................................. 7
4.4
Exclusionary Terms ............................................................................................................................. 7
5
How to Get Started & Use the Standard ..................................................................................................... 7
6
SPL Download Technical Data ................................................................................................................... 8
6.1
SPL Format ......................................................................................................................................... 8
6.2
SPL ZIP ............................................................................................................................................... 8
6.3
SPL_ProductTypes ............................................................................................................................. 8
6.4
Additional Notes .................................................................................................................................. 8
6.5
SPL Versioning.................................................................................................................................... 9
6.6
Release Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 9
6.7
Additional Tables to Come in Next SPL Release ................................................................................. 9
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 2 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
ABOUT GS1
GS1® is a neutral, not-for-profit, global organization that develops and maintains the most widely-used supply chain standards system
in the world. GS1 Standards improve the efficiency, safety, and visibility of supply chains across multiple sectors. With local Member
Organizations in over 110 countries, GS1 engages with communities of trading partners, industry organizations, governments, and
technology providers to understand and respond to their business needs through the adoption and implementation of global standards.
GS1 is driven by over a million user companies, which execute more than six billion transactions daily in 150 countries using GS1
Standards.
ABOUT GS1 US
GS1 US, a member of the global information standards organization GS1, brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain
problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for
trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business
processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems,
barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-enabled RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also
manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). www.GS1US.org.
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 3 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
1 B A C K G RO U ND
The once “clear” line between shopping and buying in physical locations versus online locations has essentially
vanished. Technology and the advent of smart devices have given birth to the tech-savvy, always-connected
consumer who demands an abundance of accurate, authentic product information. With each passing day,
more and more shoppers are relying on digital content to support purchasing decisions. As a result, providing
digital access to quality information has become a key priority for companies to succeed.
Content accuracy, completeness and consistency are essential for establishing and maintaining customer trust
in this environment. However, retail/e-tail trading partners manage an increasingly complex mix of both online
and physical commerce requirements to support evolving consumer expectations, and convert shoppers into
buyers. With digital content increasingly driving search, discovery, and purchase decisions, there is a growing
industry need to create, share and harmonize disparate product data.
Online search results function as a “digital shelf” where shoppers learn about, compare and select products for
purchase. To help ensure that their content is understood by search engines and trusted by consumers,
industry members should reimagine themselves as publishers. Companies need to integrate content and
commerce operations, processes and technologies to meet the needs of the digital-savvy consumer. To meet
these challenges, companies need a new approach to existing proprietary processes and industry support of
standardized best practices to reduce costs and increase business process efficiencies.
The GS1 US Simple Product Listing™ Standard was developed to provide a standardized classification and
basic attribution model that simplifies commerce by replacing multiple proprietary systems with a standardized
approach. The standard provides the necessary flexibility for online search and discovery, while also
supporting physical stores. Benefits include improved search relevance for consumers and more efficient
processes for sellers, retailers, and solution providers.
2 T H E G S 1 U S S I M P L E P R O D UCT L I S TI NG S TA N D A RD
The GS1 US Simple Product Listing Standard (SPL) is a standardized content vocabulary used for
communicating basic product classification and trusted fundamental product attributes between brand
owners/suppliers/manufacturers and e-tailers/retailers to ensure that their products are discoverable and
accurately represented across any channel. The standard is intended to reduce the effort needed to share
product content and to speed the product listing process for both physical and e-commerce marketplaces.
SPL enables brand owners/suppliers/manufacturers to list products in a consistent way regardless of channel
or platform using a common, search-friendly language that both web and mobile applications can easily
understand. Retailers of all types can use the standard to gain efficiencies, without losing their ability to create
unique consumer experiences within their existing e-commerce systems.
The SPL standard consists of four major components:




Segments – provide logical groupings of products
Product Types – group similar products together based on the nature of the products or their intended
usage
Attributes – intended primarily for organizing, categorization, and inventory refinement
Attribute Values – provide the additional detail needed when an attribute alone is not sufficient to
describe a product characteristic in a semantically unambiguous way
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 4 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
In addition, to the components listed above, each Product Type, where applicable, will also have Inclusionary
Terms and Exclusionary Terms, which will enable developers to build an algorithmic search on top of the
standard leveraging the common selection criteria used by consumers. These parametric search terms
improve search consistency both to and within the website, supporting the e-commerce and omni-channel
shopping experience.
Development of the standard is based upon policies, structures and processes that foster collaboration and
consensus within and between industries, and with other GS1 US and GS1 efforts. The standard will be
enhanced, translated and maintained through active involvement of volunteer industry domain experts. The
quality of the standard will be promoted through a fair, robust, and open maintenance process. The standard
is being developed in stages based on industry input, interest and participation.
3 H O W THE S P L S TA N DA R D I S M A NA G E D
The standard is a voluntary, collaborative industry effort facilitated by GS1 US. GS1 US facilitates the work
effort to support collaboration, and participants are responsible for the overall strategic direction of the
workflow. Participants utilize a steering committee model to manage the workgroups, prioritize development,
and govern workgroup activities and processes.
The SPL development effort is a voluntary industry work effort, in which individual companies may choose to
join and assist with their company’s development, adoption or implementation. Nothing herein should be
construed as constituting or implying an agreement among participants to adopt or implement the standard.
4 B A S I C C O M P O N E N TS O F S P L
4.1 SEGMENTS
Segments are primarily used as an organizing tool for managing product types. They are used to create
logical product groupings in order to make it easier for users of the standard to locate and utilize specific
product types within that given segment. Segments are conceptual in nature and are not intended to be used
to classify products. There is no hierarchical relationship between a Segment and a Product Type.
A Segment is a plural noun or nominal group used to commonly describe things. Segments may include
conjoined terms (e.g., Food & Beverage, Home & Garden, etc.). However, Segments shall not include the
word “or” (e.g., Food or Beverage).
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 5 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
SPL currently includes twenty-seven (27) Segments, including one Segment named “Everything Else” that is
intended to be used as a placeholder for any potential new Segments. The list of the SPL Segments will be
expanded on an as-needed basis.
SPL SEGMENTS














Art
Baby
Books, Music, & Movies
Business & Industrial
Cameras, Photo, & Optics
Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories
Collectibles & Memorabilia
Consumer Electronics
Crafts
Electronics Components
Food & Beverage
Gift & Pre-Paid Service Cards
Health & Beauty
Home & Garden













Jewelry Gems & Watches
Musical Instruments & Pro Audio
Office & Stationery
Pet Supplies
Real Estate
Services & Warranties
Sports & Outdoors
Tickets
Tools & Hardware
Toys & Games
Travel Luggage & Accessories
Vehicles Parts & Accessories
“Everything Else”
4.2 PRODUCT TYPES
A Product Type (PT) groups similar products based on the nature of the products or their intended usage.
They provide a way of classifying items without attaching them to a rigid hierarchy. A Product Type represents
a product with:

One specific function* (or a minimal set of combined or related functions for combinations, systems or
parts, and accessory bundles)
and

One general form (or an agreed set of forms to avoid the proliferation of Product Types)
* For multi-functional products that are not covered by an individual Product Type: if a primary function cannot be determined,
content providers should pick one Product Type, taking into consideration which PT has the most relevant corresponding attribute
set for the product in question.
A Product Type is a plural noun or nominal group used to commonly describe things. SPL Product Types
accurately summarize what an item is, not where it should be displayed on an ecommerce website.




Product Types are mutually exclusive and are intended to represent the entirety of retail
A Product Type may not belong to more than one Segment
Accessories for a given item should have their own Product Type
Gender and age are not used to differentiate Product Types (e.g., Bottle, not Baby Bottle; Shirt, not
Child Shirt versus Adult Shirt)
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 6 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
4 . 3 I N C L U S I O N AR Y T E R M S
Inclusionary Terms indicate similar products, alternate spellings, and synonyms which are included in a
specific Product Type. For example, Inclusionary Terms for Product Type “Bikes” may include bicycle, trike,
tricycle, and unicycle. Class inclusion is a primary structural principle in taxonomies and prototype categories.
It implies that the named Product Types are superior in category, and that abstract entities include secondary
and specific entities. Thus, the Product Type entities serve as categories for the outranked entities.
4 . 4 E X C L U S I O N AR Y T E R M S
Exclusionary Terms indicate products which are excluded from a specific Product Type. For example,
Exclusionary Terms for Product Type “Bikes” may include dirt bike, go cart, and big wheels.
5 H O W TO G E T S T A R TE D & US E TH E S TA N DA RD
Basic Instructions to Get Started:
1. Download the zip file.
2. Extract the files and review the notes.
3. Map your own classification scheme to SPL.
4. Provide implementation feedback to the GS1 US team based on your experience using the standard. The
SPL website enables you to provide feedback via a downloadable Excel workbook and/or individual
comments sent to [email protected].

Share any difficulties aligning your taxonomy, or if any important product types are missing

Share how you use SPL to exchange information for merchant-specific catalogs

Share success stories and implementation learning
SPL works differently than other quantity-restricting modules and can be used where more flexibility is needed.
The technique used here is to leverage the power of taxonomy. This enables restrictions to bridge many
diverse products. A company may use the inclusions as added Product Type vocabulary, enabling consumer
searches to be referenced against the SPL list.
Advanced search enables companies to restrict consumer searches to a specific taxonomy term. These terms
may be listed by Product Type in the category box to enable consumers to select multiple terms.
An organization may want to limit the Product Types and all associated taxonomy terms that appear in that
multi-select box through a search setting. For that, the organization may add a checkbox for each term that
enables them to exclude a vocabulary term by selecting the checkbox (and include the term if the box is not
selected).
The SPL website includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), as well as a contact area for those who want
to become engaged in future SPL development activities.
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 7 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
6 S P L DO W NL O A D T E CH NI C A L D A TA
6 . 1 S P L F O R M AT
The SPL standard is available in the following formats:


XLS: a set of Microsoft Excel files
TXT: a set of tab-separated text files
The columns in the table consist of unique key, segment, product type, inclusions and exclusions.
6.2 SPL ZIP
V0_9 GS1 US SPL Standard ZIP is a downloadable archive containing the following files:



V0.9 GS1 US SPL Standard
ReadMeV0.9 GS1 US SPL Standard
SPL Version
6.3 SPL_PRODUCTTYPES
SPL PRODUCT TYPES
ProductTypeID
Unique ID of a Product Type
integer, primary key
Segment
Segment name
varchar(255)
ProductType
Product type name
varchar(255)
Inclusions
List of inclusionary terms
varchar(2000)
Exclusions
List of exclusionary terms
varchar(2000)
Notes
Product type description (optional)
varchar(2000)
6 . 4 A D D I T I O N AL N O T E S




XLS file contains field headers
XLS file contains only one tab
All the columns of the XLS file are marked as Text
Inclusions and Exclusions are multi-value fields, where multiple values are comma separated
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 8 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
6.5 SPL VERSIONING
New SPL versions will be made available twice a year. Historical SPL releases will be archived and made
available via the SPL website. SPL versions contain the year and month of SPL release as YY.MM (e.g.15.05
for May 2015).
SPL_VERSION
VersionID
ID of SPL Version
YY.MM
char(5)
Release Date
The date of the SPL release
YYMMDD
char(6)
Notes
SPL version description
varchar(2000)
6 . 6 R E L E AS E N O T E S
SPL Release 0.9 will contain six of the twenty-seven segments, as follows:




Books, Music, & Movies
Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories
Consumer Electronics
Collectibles & Memorabilia
Gift & Pre-paid Service Cards
Tickets


6 . 7 A D D I T I O N AL T A B L E S T O C O M E I N N E X T S P L R E L E AS E
In subsequent SPL releases, several additional tables will be added to the downloadable SPL files:

SPL_Attributes
Product attributes associated with each of the Product Types

SPL_AttributeValues
Product attribute values specified for each of text attributes

SPL_Version_Audit
Audit table specifying what was added in each of SPL release
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 9 OF 11
GS1 US SIMPLE PRODUCT LISTING STANDARD (RELEASE 0.9): INTRODUCTI0N & QUICK START GUIDE
R1.0 — MAY 15 2015
PROPRIETARY STATEMENT
This document contains proprietary information of GS1 US. Such proprietary information may not be changed for use with any other
parties for any other purpose without the expressed written permission of GS1 US.
IMPROVEMENTS
Improvement and changes are periodically made to publications by GS1 US. All material is subject to change without notice. Please
refer to GS1 US website for the most current publication available.
DISCLAIMER:
Except as may be otherwise indicated in specific documents within this publication, you are authorized to view documents within this
publication, subject to the following:
1.
You agree to retain all copyright and other proprietary notices on every copy you make.
2.
Some documents may contain other proprietary notices and copyright information relating to that document. You agree that
GS1 US has not conferred by implication, estoppels or otherwise any license or right under any patent, trademark or copyright
(except as expressly provided above) of GS1 US or of any third party.
This publication is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Any GS1 US publication may include technical
inaccuracies or typographical errors. GS1 US assumes no responsibility for and disclaims all liability for any errors or omissions in this
publication or in other documents which are referred to within or linked to this publication. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion
of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.
Several products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
companies. GS1 US does not, by promulgating this document on behalf of the parties involved in the creation of this document,
represent that any methods, products, and/or systems discussed or recommended in the document do not violate the intellectual
property rights of any third party. GS1 US has not performed a search to determine what intellectual property may be infringed by an
implementation of any strategies or suggestions included in this document. GS1 US hereby disclaims any liability for any party’s
infringement of intellectual property rights that arise as a result of any implementation of strategies or suggestions included in this
document.
This publication may be distributed internationally and may contain references to GS1 US products, programs and services that have
not been announced in your country. These references do not imply that GS1 US intends to announce such products, programs or
services in your country.
NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE
In no event shall GS1 US or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying documentation be liable
for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business
information, or other loss) arising out of the use of or the results of use of or inability to use such documentation, even if GS1 US has
been advised of the possibility of such damages.
IAPMO
In this publication, the letters “U.P.C.” are used solely as an abbreviation for the “Universal Product Code” which is a product
identification system. They do not refer to the UPC, which is a federally registered certification mark of the International Association of
Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) to certify compliance with a Uniform Plumbing Code as authorized by IAPMO.
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PAGE 10 OF 11
© 2015 GS1 US ALL RIGHTS RESERVED