GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program

Improve your relationships, leverage existing investments, and serve your customers better

Today’s tech-savvy consumers don’t distinguish between online and brick-and-mortar shopping. Shopping must be flexible, seamless, always-on, and always-open with a streamlined digital path-to-purchase. As a result, retailers and brands are looking for new ways to help them forecast trends more accurately, collaborate with global trading partners more efficiently, and improve inventory management. To help them accomplish these goals, many have turned to Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-enabled item level Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

Item level tagging delivers true inventory visibility from source-to-store—enabling 95% tracking accuracy* for every piece of merchandise, in every retail stock location. With this level of inventory intelligence, retailers and brands can respond quickly to optimize inventory location to maximize sales and provide the best consumer shopping experience.

The GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program provides the education, training, tools, and community support that the apparel and general merchandise industries need to implement EPC-enabled item level RFID tagging in day-to-day operations. With three levels of engagement—from basic online educational resources to a premium readiness training to tailored/customized support—our program can help your organization better serve your customers.

Please note: you need to be a member of the GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program to use the GS1 US EPC Adoption Roadmap.

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Basic Online Education

Check out our FAQs, free on-demand and live webinars and workshops, market research, and implementation success stories, and peruse our informative tools, resources, and educational learnings.

The Premium GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program

The premium program includes education, user tools, and community forums. This self-directed online program supports the implementation of technology and GS1 Standards to improve business process challenges and overall supply chain efficiency. To learn more, read our program overview and/or contact us at ApparelGM@gs1us.org.

Customized Support

GS1 US can also tailor an implementation program specific to your organization’s deployment plan. With a special mix of technical and business expertise, we can provide customized services, such as on-site EPC readiness assessments, targeted pilot and implementation planning and support, and in-person training presentations for your staff and your trading partners. GS1 US Advisory Services offers a combination of technical and business expertise to help you address the specific challenges your organization may face in integrating GS1 Standards into your operations.

To learn more contact us at ApparelGM@gs1us.org.

-Auburn University RFID Lab Studies

"EPC-enabled RFID is a rewarding undertaking but it is complex, and the GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program has helped us get further in our implementation than we would have been otherwise. We and our suppliers are moving very quickly on this to better serve our customers, and it’s critical to have the kind of independent, unbiased support that the program offers.”

- Bill Connell, Senior Vice President, Logistics and Operations, Macy's, Inc.

"We needed a quick solution that would enable us to tag millions of items each year. The GS1 US EPC Item Level Readiness Program provides peace of mind that we'll reach our goal.”

- Jay Craft, Vice President, Product, Development, VF Jeanswear VF Corporation