Small Feature, Big Impact: How Path Domains Fuel GS1 Digital Link

In the rapidly evolving world of digital engagement, the smallest innovations can have the most significant impact. At BL.INK, we're excited to introduce a new feature that may seem small at first glance but plays a critical role in transforming how brands can leverage the GS1 Digital Link. Introducing Path Domains—a game-changing capability designed to give your brand unprecedented control over link segmentation and data structuring, setting the stage for a seamless transition to the GS1 Digital Link standard.

Why Path Domains Matter

Imagine being able to create customized links that not only connect your customers to valuable product information but also enhance your brand’s ability to segment, analyze, and optimize your digital assets. That’s the power of Path Domains. This feature emerged from a real customer need—a brand looking to segment their link traffic by country using a simple, two-letter country code. This code, surrounded by slashes, is easily identifiable in the link path and allows brands to maintain their original domain while segmenting links by different parameters.

The possibilities are endless. Whether you’re a beverage company needing to separate API-generated links from campaign-specific ones, or a global snack brand tailoring campaigns for each country, Path Domains offer the flexibility and precision your digital strategy requires.

Path Domains: The Building Blocks of GS1 Digital Link Success

But why is this important? Path Domains aren’t just about segmentation—they’re about laying the groundwork for something much bigger. By 2027, the standard UPC barcodes on product packaging will evolve into 2D barcodes or QR codes, capable of carrying far more data than their one-dimensional predecessors. These QR codes will do more than just facilitate checkout; they’ll connect consumers directly to rich, data-driven microsites through the GS1 Digital Link.

Here’s where Path Domains shine. When a brand adopts the GS1 Digital Link, they’ll use a standard domain (like “dr.ink”) and add a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) to the link. This link, embedded in the QR code, will direct consumers to a product-specific microsite. However, brands can—and should—add even more information to these links. By using Path Domains before the GTIN, brands can segment and manage their GS1 Digital Links independently while using shared, branded domains.  This innovation adds another layer of access control and data segmentation to increase the overall efficiency of their GS1 Digital Link implementation.

Structuring Data for Maximum Impact

The beauty of Path Domains lies in their ability to create perfectly structured data. This isn’t just about making links more informative; it’s about making data easier to identify, manage, and measure. Whether you’re creating short links or QR codes, BL.INK’s Path Domains ensure that your data is organized in a way that enhances your overall link management and data analytics strategy.

This structured data becomes the foundation for the product microsites created with BL.INK CXP, our no-code CMS platform. These microsites are dynamically generated in real-time, perfectly aligned with the data in your GS1 Digital Link. It’s a seamless process that ensures your customers receive the most relevant and accurate information whenever they scan your product.

Bringing GS1 Digital Link to Life

Let’s take a real-world example. Imagine purchasing a package of XYZ Brand lunch meat. A week later, you hear about a recall affecting some XYZ Brand products. Today, you might search online for recall details to see if your product is involved. But with GS1 Digital Link, powered by Path Domains and a microsite created with BL.INK CXP, it’s much simpler. If XYZ Brand has included the batch number in their GS1 Digital Link, you can scan the package at home and immediately see real-time information about your specific product directly from XYZ Brand, confirming whether your product is affected by the recall.

This is just one of the many ways Path Domains enable meaningful consumer engagement. By 2027, this kind of interaction will be commonplace, thanks to the infrastructure we’re building today.

Path Domains: The Future of Digital Engagement

The introduction of Path Domains is more than just a new feature—it's a step toward the future of digital engagement. As brands prepare for the global shift to GS1 Digital Link, the ability to segment and structure data will become a crucial differentiator. BL.INK’s Path Domains provide the tools you need to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that your brand is ready to make the most of the GS1 Digital Link revolution.

With Path Domains, you’re not just adopting a new feature—you’re investing in a future where your brand can deliver personalized, data-driven experiences to every consumer, every time. That’s the power of Path Domains, and that’s the future of GS1 Digital Link.

Learn more about BL.INK's end-to-end solution for GS1 Digital Link.