Barcodes for Liquor

Barcodes for liquor products can be purchased below. If you purchase “Barcode Packages” below, you will receive EAN-13 barcodes that are suitable for use on all food and beverage products (including liquors) in New Zealand and worldwide. For more information about barcodes for liquor bottles, please see the FAQ at the bottom of this page. We have been selling barcodes to customers in New Zealand and worldwide for many years. Many of our customers are distilleries, liquor distributors, and local businesses producing and selling liquor products.

FAQ’s about Barcodes for Liquor

 

What type of barcode do I need for Liquor products?

Liquor bottles in New Zealand (and most parts of the world) usually have a 13-digit “EAN-13” barcode on them. You can purchase this type of barcode above and receive it by email instantly.

The EAN-13 barcode is the barcode normally used in New Zealand for Liquor. The EAN-13 barcodes we sell are globally unique barcodes that comply with the standardised retail barcoding system used in New Zealand and worldwide. Our barcodes are compliant with all retail barcoding software and barcode scanners, both in New Zealand and worldwide.

It is not a legal requirement to have a barcode on your Liquor products. However, most retailers require barcodes, so it’s an excellent idea to get them. Retailers use barcodes for stocktaking purposes (so that they can easily keep track of their inventory) and make the sales/checkout process efficient and fast.

How many barcodes do I need for my Liquor products?

Generally speaking, you need a unique barcode number for each different retail product (this includes different product variations). If your Liquor is being sold both in individual units, as well as in boxes to be sold by the case, then you’ll need two EAN-13 barcodes (one for the individual bottles and one for the boxes).

You definitely need a different barcode for each product when the price changes. If the price is the same (across all the product variations), then you might get away with using the same barcode number on all the product variations. This depends a bit on which retail stores you are selling your products in – the larger retail stores, in particular, might require a different barcode for each product variation (especially if they do stocktaking automatically, instead of manually).

What type of barcode do I need for the outer delivery packages of Liquor?

Some retailers and wholesalers require ITF-14 barcodes (also called GTIN-14 barcodes) to go on the delivery packaging of Liquor. An ITF-14 barcode goes on the delivery boxes that contain your liquor products- please discuss this with your retailers to find out if they require these. ITF-14 barcodes are 14 digits long and are based on the 13 digit EAN barcode that goes on the Liquor labels. They are scanned when each delivery carton enters the warehouse/storage area so that your retailers know how many products are in each box (this helps them to keep track of the remaining stock that’s in their warehouse and to know when they’re running low on a particular product and need to order more). Usually, you’ll need one ITF-14 barcode for each EAN-13 barcode that you have. You can purchase an ITF-14 barcode here if you need one. Occasionally a retailer/wholesaler might also require that you get an EAN-128 barcode that encodes particular details (e.g. batch number, date, GLN number of the vineyard). If you need an EAN-128 barcode, we can provide this – please contact us for a quote (and tell us what information you need to be encoded into the EAN-128 barcode).

Do we need to give you any product information?

No, you don’t. All you need to do is to buy the barcodes on our website and pay by credit card. You will receive your barcodes automatically by email as soon as we receive your payment. Each barcode will be a globally unique sequence of 13 digits encoded into a barcode image (the vertical black bars and white spaces). No product information will be encoded into the barcodes when you receive them – your barcodes and products will only be linked together once you give them to your retailers. The retailers enter the information into their inventory system (after that, when the barcode is scanned, the product/price information will appear on the retailer’s checkout screen).

How do we use our barcodes?

For information about how to use your barcodes, please see this page. We also have a short (7-page) Barcode Buyer Document PDF that explains how to use your barcode.

Do we need to register the barcodes in a  database? 

No, you don’t. You can allocate the barcodes to your Liquor products, get them printed onto the labels, and then start using the barcodes immediately. There is no compulsory (or comprehensive) barcode database for Liquor products – or any other retail product – in New Zealand or worldwide.

There are several general barcode databases online (where all types of retail products – food, beverages, clothes etc. – can be listed), but none of these databases is complete (or compulsory). One of the best ones is the International Barcodes Database. If you purchase “EAN-13 Barcode Packages” (above), you’ll be able to register your barcodes for free on that database. Registration is an optional service. It is not compulsory. For more information about barcode registrations, click here.

Can we purchase a roll of sticky barcode labels from you? 

Yes, you can. We can send you a roll of barcode labels (via courier) for you to stick onto your existing Liquor packaging or labelling. This could be a good option if your labels were printed before you got a barcode (or if the barcode printed on the labels is not scanning correctly for some reason). You can purchase barcode labels here.