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Digimarc has announced that a group of industry-leading companies in Japan has formed a study group regarding implementation of Digimarc Barcode. The “Shopping for The Future” study group includes 17 companies encompassing retailers, consumer brands and their suppliers.

The formation of this impressive group of industry leaders follows on the recent announcement by Digimarc of its collaboration with industry association GS1 US, and represents the beginning of globalization for the Digimarc platform. Digimarc Barcode, the Barcode of Everything, is a carrier for conventional barcode data that is generally imperceptible in ordinary use and does everything conventional barcodes do better. Importantly, the Digimarc Barcode can be applied to all media, not just printed materials as in use of conventional barcodes. Unlike conventional barcodes and QR codes, the Digimarc Barcode does not take up any space in consumer product packaging.

The Digimarc platform addresses retail value chain challenges, from streamlining and improving quality in manufacturing to vastly speeding-up retail checkout, and providing consumers with access to important information via their smartphones. “We are grateful that the Shopping for The Future group has been formed to lay the groundwork for successful implementation of Digimarc Barcode in Japan,” said Bruce Davis, CEO, Digimarc.

The Shopping for The Future group has created numerous work groups to conduct research and share best practices for implementation and application development. The study group intends to support its members by providing a platform for networking and exchanging know-how and expertise.

“The potential benefits of the Digimarc Barcode will change retail on a worldwide basis,” said Yoshio Motte, Monic CEO. “Embedding information on a consumer package or an industrial device surface so that it is essentially invisible to the naked eye but is easily read by electronic devices opens up a world of possibilities for greater efficiency and consumer satisfaction. The Shopping for The Future study group is eager to collaborate on bringing the Digimarc Barcode to industry and consumers across Japan. We believe the addition of this technology will revolutionize retail.”

“New product packages enabled with Digimarc Barcode will become new media which can be used as a communication tool with consumers not only in stores but anywhere,” said Yuji Eguchi, General Manager of Business Process Re-engineering Platform Division, Communication & Information Center, Information Innovation Operations, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

“As auto-ID industry professionals, we assessed the high potential of Digimarc Barcodes to address customer needs unmet by existing identification symbols such as barcodes and RFID,” said SATO Corporation President Ryutaro Kotaki. “We will incorporate Digimarc Barcode into solutions using our expertise in auto-ID technologies and labeling to meet the needs of customers in Japan and globally.”