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Support to Help Small Businesses Grow

We understand the challenges of running a small business and want to highlight a few government funding opportunities through the Canada Digital Adoption Program. You may be eligible to have some of your GS1 Canada fees covered or reimbursed.

Online commerce in Canada has almost doubled since 2019, creating an increased need for a strong digital brand presence with reliable product information and images, and improved business efficiency through new technology and digital automation.

GS1 is the only official provider of UPC barcodes globally. Global barcodes will help you get ready for trade and expand your product visibility. As a small business, you want to ensure that when your product is sold online, you build consumer confidence in your brand by providing accurate product information and the right product each time. This is where GS1 Canada can help support the digital transformation of your business.

The Canada Digital Adoption Program can help get your business online, give your ecommerce presence a boost or digitalize your business' operations. The program offers two grants:

  1. The Grow Your Business Online grant helps small businesses take advantage of ecommerce opportunities.
    • Access a network of ecommerce advisors for advice and support.
    • Get a microgrant of up to $2,400 to buy new ecommerce tools.
  2. The Boost Your Business Technology grant helps small- and medium-sized businesses adopt new digital technologies.
    • Use a free digital assessment tool to evaluate your business' digital readiness.
    • Get a grant of up $15,000 to consult a digital expert and develop a digital adoption plan for your business.
    • Get up to $100,000 in interest-free loans from BDC to implement your digital adoption plan.
    • Leverage a subsidized work placement to bring on a recent graduate or student to help with your digital transformation.

Eligible GS1 Canada Industry Solutions

Through your enrolment in this program, you will work with a government-approved solution provider or digital advisor to build the right strategy for your business. By requesting and having the specific GS1 Canada tools and services below included in your strategy, you will be eligible to have all, or a portion of, your fees reimbursed through the available grants.

  • ECCnet New Item Setup
    ECCnet New Item Setup simplifies the product listing process for small businesses, ensuring the mandatory product data needed to meet Canadian trading partner and regulatory requirements is provided. This centralized source for globally standardized, bilingual product data enables an efficient exchange of information between trading partners to help avoid missing or incorrect data that can result in lost listings and lost business.
  • ECCnet eCommerce Content
    The influx of Canadian consumers shopping online has increased the demand for reliable product information for online sales platforms. Directed by industry's need to meet these demands quickly and efficiently, ECCnet eCommerce Content reduces the administrative burden for small businesses by enabling the seamless sharing of bilingual ecommerce images, certified product data and additional, enhanced product information between multiple trading partners from a primary source of truth.
  • Product Certification - Nutritional Content
    Product Certification is a standardized data excellence tool that enables brand owners (data providers) to efficiently review, certify and share 100% accurate and complete product data and global standard images, ensuring trading partners and consumers have access to the highest level of data excellence. The Product Certification process ensures small businesses have the final say on how their products are represented throughout the supply chain from trading partners to consumers online.

Apply online and request to have specific GS1 Canada tools and services included in your strategy.
For more information, visit the Canada Digital Adopt Program.
Apply online

Tools for a Digital World

GS1 Canada is well equipped to support small businesses looking to accurately represent their products online with global barcodes, global standardized product images, and the ability to automatically and efficiently share accurate product data with multiple trading partners from a central, secure location.

Additional support and education are available to small businesses as they transition to alignment with GS1 Global Standards and open their business to ecommerce platforms of all sizes. Businesses recognize - many even require - GS1 barcodes and GTINs to enable accurate product identification, which result in increased customer satisfaction and trust, faster product listing and higher purchase frequency, and accurate product fulfilment.

ECCnet Industry Managed Solutions

Whether you're looking to launch new products, access perpetually cleansed and updated product content, or increase safety and operational efficiencies, our solutions contain flexible tools and services, value-added elements and premium features to meet the evolving needs of industry and the demand for increased visibility and data quality. Learn more about the ECCnet Industry Managed Solutions that can support your digital and ecommerce needs.

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