Barcodes- those simple labels with black stripes-have revolutionised the retail industry. The stripes printed on product packaging contain important information regarding the product. Each barcode is made of varying widths of bars and spaces between them. The barcodes can be decoded only through special devices such as a laser or optical scanner, the kind used at supermarkets. Barcodes enable easy and fast transaction as well as analysis of sales data stored in the computer.
The information contained in barcodes is called Symbology. As soon as a barcode is passed through a scanner, all information pertaining to the product is shown on a computer screen. Shopkeepers love this system because it enables easy and fast transaction as well as analysis of sales data (stored in the computer). This system has a very low margin of error during sale. Barcodes are also useful for manufacturers since a unique identity can be inserted for each box of products to help in packaging and transportation
These days other geometric patterns are used in place of the original parallel bars but they are all generally referred to as barcodes.
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