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Home→The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing→B→bar code

bar code

Definition:
A series of identical length lines, of varying widths used to identify PRODUCTS. By convention, the first two lines identify the country of origin, the next five identify the manufacturer, the next five the product and the last line is a check digit assigned by a computer. The country of origin digits are internationally agreed, the manufacturer numbers are allocated by the Article Numbering Association (ANA) and the product code is allocated by the manufacturer. Read by an optical scanner at a checkout desk, they provide data for internal records and produce till receipts. Bar codes are referred to as Universal Product Coding in the USA.

Cross-References:
[product]

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© Westburn Publishers Ltd 2002, The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing edited by Michael J Baker, ISBN 978-0-946433-01-8. www.themarketingdictionary.com. Entry: [Kenneth R. Deans], [1998].