Nick Viskovich (left) and Michael Manley (center) of Amazon detail how on-pack 2D barcodes underpin anti-counterfeiting and validation efforts used by the company’s Transparency initiative in a panel moderated by GS1 US’s Andrew Moorhead (right).
The countdown to Sunrise 2027 is on. By that date, a new standard is expected to take hold in retail and ecommerce environments: the 2D barcode will replace the traditional 1D UPC on product packaging. But for brands selling on Amazon—and increasingly across other retail channels—the future is already here.
Amazon’s Transparency program, which requires brands to apply serialized 2D Data Matrix codes to their products, is helping brand owners do much more than just comply. It’s helping them combat counterfeiting, prevent grey market activity, reduce retail theft, and build deeper consumer trust—all through smart packaging.
“This creates tremendous off-Amazon value, and we get to do Transparency,” said Michael Manley, Global Head of Technical Business Development at Amazon. “So it's a win, win all the way across the supply chain. Now it's a serial number that can be used for parent/child and all of the track and trace use cases… You talk about this vision of track and trace—how do you do it? Where do you start? This is where you start.”
The mechanics of Transparency
At its core, Amazon Transparency is a proactive anti-counterfeit system. It requires brand owners—who must first be enrolled in Amazon’s Brand Registry—to assign a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) to their products. Amazon then generates a unique, 26-character alphanumeric serial number for each item, which must be physically applied to the product using a 2D Data Matrix code.
Amazon scans every unit at outbound, whether it’s shipped from an Amazon Fulfillment Center (FC) or through a third-party via the Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN). “If [a code] is not matching the description, and there’s no serial number associated, it will be sidelined, investigated, and destroyed,” explained Nick Viskovich, Global Head of Sales, Consumer Electronics for Amazon. “It will never make it to a customer.”
For packaging and operations teams, the central question becomes: how do you apply serialized 2D codes at scale? Amazon offers three models:
· Work with a Transparency service provider that prints and ships serialized labels within 48 hours.
· Integrate 2D codes into existing packaging artwork via converters that support variable data printing.
· Feed Amazon brand-owned serial numbers through API or SFTP, using internal systems already in place for QA or traceability.
Manley noted the packaging implications: “That requires that your printing provider has variable data capability. We’ve been building out that network for years.” But there are tradeoffs: variable data can slow line speeds or increase print complexity, and not all converters are ready. Still, the flexibility is key for brands of all sizes and packaging systems.
Brand benefits beyond Amazon
While Transparency was built to protect Amazon’s marketplace, it delivers direct advantages to brands—benefits that go well beyond compliance.
For starters, serialized 2D barcodes can tell a story. “Brands are using our 2D codes to tell stories,” said Viskovich. “They can include sustainability efforts, sourcing details, and customer engagement content—right on the package.” Consumers can scan using the Amazon app to verify authenticity and access that information.
Transparency also helps prevent unintentional grey market activity, such as selling a version of a product intended for a different market or language region. By mapping products at the GTIN level and labeling each unit individually, the system ensures that what’s ordered is exactly what’s delivered.
The impact on retail theft may be the most exciting development. With item-level serialization, Amazon can flag units that were never scanned out at a retailer’s POS—indicating possible theft—and take action. “We ask for an invoice, we sideline that inventory, and our Counterfeit Crimes Unit gets involved,” said Viskovich. “These are former FBI and Interpol folks—we’re building real cases.”
He added, “Our customers at Transparency are brand owners, and then the end consumer. When they ask, ‘Why should we invest in a system created by Amazon?’—this is why. It’s solving a real-world problem.”
Aligning with Sunrise 2027
The goals of Amazon’s Transparency program and the industry-wide Sunrise 2027 initiative are increasingly aligned. As retailers prepare to scan and interpret 2D codes at checkout, Transparency provides an early model of what’s possible—and how brands can lead the transition.
“I control the specs for Transparency,” said Manley, “and I like specs that everybody can comply with. When I saw Sunrise 2027 supports serialization and batch/lot—and all we had to do was support the URL—I thought: this is it. Now we have a code that provides tremendous value off Amazon too.”
For packaging teams, this means every 2D barcode becomes a multi-function label: for brand protection, consumer engagement, inventory tracking, and now retail POS. But it also means pressure to upgrade print capabilities, train suppliers, and ensure artwork can accommodate new formats—all while preserving line speeds.
“This is about empowering brands,” said Viskovich. “We're not just scanning boxes—we’re helping you protect your product, your brand, and your customers.”
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