What’s Happening at GS1 Canada

As 2020 draws to a close, we can reflect on the lessons learned during this truly unique year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us and has highlighted the importance of a strong supply chain in ensuring the continued availability of goods to Canadian businesses and consumers. As the global leader in supply chain, our subscribers have counted on us for continued service to ensure your products are available when and as needed.

Looking towards 2021, as Canada recovers from the pandemic, GS1 Canada remains strongly committed to supporting Canadian business and delivering to industry needs through global standard solutions, to data excellence and to ensuring that accurate and complete product data continues to flow between trading partners, fuelling secure and efficient supply chains.

Working Together to Transform the Future of Foodservice

Few industries have been impacted by COVID-19 as much as foodservice – but the foodservice industry is resilient and their ability to react to a changing landscape has been inspiring.

Learn more about how the foodservice industry has adapted as a result of the pandemic and how GS1 Canada supports foodservice as it goes through a transformation.

What’s on the Horizon for Retail eCommerce?

Canadian ecommerce businesses have experienced unprecedented growth and have seen their revenues more than double from 2019 to 2020 with no sign of slowing down over the next few years. Despite becoming a more crucial part of retail over the next few years, ecommerce isn’t set to replace in person brick and mortar shopping.

Canadian in person retail has experienced significant steady growth since May of this year, recovering from its drop in April when Ontario entered its first lockdown. Overall retail sales are nearing pre-pandemic levels, and ecommerce has played a fading role in that recovery. While retail e-commerce sales are still higher than 2019 levels, they’ve declined since their peak in May.

As soon as restrictions lifted and in-store shopping became more accessible, consumers switched back to it which is indicative of customers’ preferences for brick-and-mortar stores, despite ecommerce being more widely available than ever.

While retail ecommerce will keep growing in the years to come, it’s predicted to be at a much slower pace. According to one survey conducted by Statista, Canadian ecommerce sales growth will fall to 7.7% in 2021 and continue to decline through 2024. The astronomical ecommerce growth of mid-2020 isn’t indicative of the industry’s future; the surge in online sales at that time points to necessity rather than consumer preference.

Now that online stores have become an industry standard, it’s no longer enough to merely have an ecommerce site. Retailers must optimize their online channels to stay competitive, just as they do with brick-and-mortar stores.

Learn more about how our ECCnet eCommerce Content Solution can help you optimize the presence of your products on the digital shelf.

Original Article: Retail Insider OCT 23, 2020 – The Future Outlook of Canadian Retail E-Commerce

Link to stats - Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/448030/canada-retail-e-commerce-sales-growth/

Great Planograms Drive Sales – Are Your Products Poised for Success?

In today’s competitive marketplace, brand owners want to maintain brand consistency, retailers want to optimize their retail space – and both want to drive sales!

Planograms ensure the best use of retail space and increase operational efficiencies when content is captured using a consistent methodology and is accessible from a primary source of truth. Great planograms start with standardized content – accurate and complete product content that enables retailers to determine exactly how much stock they can feature on shelves and displays. In providing standardized product images and precise weights and dimensions, brand owners ensure consistency in their branding and help drive in store sales.

ECCnet Planogram Content is GS1 Canada’s global standards-based solution that ensures everyone in the industry is using the same standardized planogram content, enabling retailers to efficiently build programs and manufacturers to share the same, current content with all trading partners through our one-to-many process.

Learn more about this solution.

Product Content Key for Retailer Health & Wellness Programs

When it comes to groceries, consumers are willing to pay a premium for food items that are ethically produced. The trend toward sustainability is quickly becoming a must-have for retailers wanting to meet the growing consumer demands. Shoppers looking for products that are produced locally is another emerging trend, especially during the pandemic, which has prompted many Canadians to direct their spending towards small and local businesses.

Investing in locally made products reinvests in communities and supports locally owned businesses and producers.To help identify products that are sustainable and locally made, GS1 Canada’s Product Certification - Nutritional Content allows brand owners to highlight this specific product data. This includes attributes such as organic, locally sourced and Product of Canada. These attributes allow retailers to identify products to include in promotions that address consumer demands.

Robust product information directly from brand owners supports brand integrity by offering transparency to support nutrition-related business processes and instill confidence in consumers that their needs are being met.

Learn more today about Product Certification – Nutritional Content.

Easier, Faster Product Recalls Can Help Ensure Consumer Safety and Support Brand Loyalty

Product recalls may happen despite a manufacturer’s or brand owner’s best efforts but, a swift recall and restitution to purchasers can minimize harm to organizations – and in some cases - even improve loyalty to a brand.

When a recall strikes, time is of essence to address consumer safety and limit any reputational damage.

ECCnet Recall is a web-based communication service that helps drive speed, accuracy and traceability of product recalls and withdrawals, resulting in improved organizational efficiencies and consumer safety.

Designed to address the challenges with internal distribution of recalls – such as the use of manual paper or fax-based solutions and the lack of automated processes to efficiently manage identification, tracking and reporting – ECCnet Recall leverages global standards and an efficient mobile based platform to automate recall steps and remove products from the supply chain as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Watch our short animated video to see how the complex process of a recall can be made simpler with ECCnet Recall.

New Data Recipients at GS1 Canada

GS1 Canada is pleased to welcome the following new data recipients: Dairy Farmers of Canada, MVR Cash & Carry, Beaudry & Cadrin Inc., S.E.C Pasquier and Georgia Main Food Group.

Dairy Farmers of Canada is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canadian dairy producers. Dairy Farmers of Canada strives to create stable conditions for the dairy sector in our country. It also seeks to maintain policies that promote the sustainability of Canadian dairy production and promote dairy products and their health benefits.

MVR Cash & Carry wholesaler is a family owned and operated business. MVR Cash & Carry readily services retailers such as convenience stores, independent grocery chains, restaurants, caterers, bakeries, distributors, non-profit organizations, janitorial and many small businesses.

Beaudry & Cadrin Inc. is the largest independent food wholesaler in Eastern Canada. They enjoy the trust that hundreds of retailers and suppliers have given them over many decades. They sustain their reputation for excellence and outstanding service.

S.E.C Pasquier is the largest independent food market in Quebec with 150,000 square feet. The organization is committed to having quality health food offerings and are committed to promoting Quebec made foods.

Georgia Main Food Group previously H.Y. Louie Co. Limited, is a 115-year-old British Columbia-based family business. Georgia Main Food Group is committed to offering new retail grocery experiences and the freshest foods in their IGA and Fresh St. Market stores in British Columbia.