GS1 GTIN for product identification and listing on Amazon
Mar 3, 2025,
by Maria Svejdar - Category: eCommerce
Amazon’s platform can help your business reach millions of customers. Before you start your ecommerce journey, Amazon recommends you obtain a GTIN from GS1. Find out why.
If you are a brand looking to sell online, to break into larger markets or to expand your reach, Amazon is an excellent place to start. With more than three hundred million registered customers, the ecommerce giant is the largest online retailer in the world and over 3,700 new sellers join the platform each day.
The opportunities available to SMEs are vast. 76 per cent of SMEs selling on Amazon are profitable and more than 60% of global sales are attributable to small and medium-sized businesses.
SME benefits
With its vast global reach, Amazon offers a powerful toolkit for SMEs to grow their business. It boasts a huge number of active users, giving small and medium sellers access to a far greater pool of potential customers than they could possibly hope to reach alone. Amazon also gives SMEs the ability to expand into overseas markets without having to invest in setting up their own operations and infrastructure.
While Amazon’s marketplace is certainly crowded, its search algorithm prioritises the display of products that are relevant to the user’s search. This levels the playing field and means that less established brand have a fair shot at gaining visibility and competing with larger and more well-known brands.
Another key advantage for SMEs is Amazon's well established and robust supply chain infrastructure. Amazon can manage inventory storage, picking and packing and even shipping on behalf of sellers. This frees you up to spend time on other areas of your business such as product and brand development, marketing and customer service.
Amazon also offers sellers tools to glean valuable data and customer insights. This business intelligence can be a powerful tool for better understanding your target audience and optimising your offerings.
Powered by GS1 standards
When you begin your Amazon journey, a correctly set up GS1 barcode is an important part of establishing yourself as a credible and legitimate seller. Marketplaces check these identification numbers in the GS1 database to make sure your product is linked to your brand, and not to another. If the two do not match, your account might be suspended, or you might need to relist or even relabel your products.
To create a product listing on most major marketplaces, you will use the number sequence under the barcode (also known as a GTIN) that uniquely identifies the product.
Amazon recommends obtaining a GTIN directly from GS1 or the product’s original manufacturer. Here's a direct quote from
Seller Central:
“We verify the authenticity of product identifiers by checking the GS1 database. EANs/UPCs that do not match the information provided by GS1 will be considered invalid. Obtain your barcodes directly from GS1…”
How to get a barcode for Amazon
Working with GS1 Ireland to get your Amazon barcode involves a few easy steps. First, determine how many GTINs (barcode numbers) for Amazon you will need. Each product variation requires a unique barcode.
- If you only have a few products (less than 10) that need barcodes, getting an 11-digit GS1 Company Prefix (GCP). This licence provides you with 10 porduct numbers and might be the most cost-effective route to get started. It works well for small businesses that are looking to quickly list their products online.
- The second option is a 9-digit GS1 Company Prefix (GCP 9), which allows businesses to get multiple barcodes at once. GS1 Company Prefixes suit businesses with 20 - 1,000 products.
No matter which option you choose, you will receive a free subscription to Barcode Manager, an online tool, to manage your barcodes and other types of product information.
Why Amazon recommends GS1 standards
Watch this video featuring Sam Heyworth, vice president of consumables at Amazon to discover the powerful ways that GS1-issued GTINs improve efficiency and business opportunities for small e-commerce brands.
Sam Heyworth of #Amazon discusses the powerful ways that GS1-issued GTINs improve efficiency and business opportunities for small e-commerce brands.
Other reasons to get your barcode directly from GS1
One of the major reasons why sellers are advised to go directly to GS1 to get barcodes for Amazon is to enable growth.
Google Trusts and Recommends GS1 Barcodes
Google also recommends getting barcodes directly from GS1. Read this from the Google Search Central blog:
“For products that are sold through a variety of sellers and marketplaces, registering products with the GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) System provides internationally recognized standard identifiers for unique identification of products both in physical stores and on e-commerce platforms. Registration makes it possible for consumers to identify the source of the product.”
“Your products must have unique Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) to use Manufacturer Center. To learn how to assign GTINs to your products, visit the GS1 website in your local region.”
Google product listings that have GS1-sourced GTINs are also important parts of your search engine optimization strategy. It’s simple... the right barcode will help your product get exposure.
