An alias is secondary barcode that is associated with an item, typically the EAN/UPC code or 'manufacturer's barcode'. EAN codes are also required for uploading items to Google Shopping and some online marketplaces.
Alias barcodes can be scanned in the Point of Sale to add an item to a transaction, as well as in many areas of the Back Office e.g. to search for an item or to add an item to a Purchase Order.
For items imported into your database via SIM, the alias should already be present in almost all cases.
You can also manually add an alias to the product record in the Back Office:
This can be done on an item-by-item basis, or in bulk by using the Import Barcodes function. See the related article for guidance on using this feature.
The current criteria for barcode values are:
- 12, 13 or 14 characters in length (We don’t currently support ISBN, which would be 8 characters)
- Numeric characters only
- Cannot start with 2, 31, 02, 04, 98, 99
- Cannot contain hyphens or dots
This is based on the guidance set out here:
https://www.barcoding.com/blog/barcode-prefixes-and-product-country-of-origin/
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6286293?hl=en-GB
Aliases on EU customs shipments
EU customs require a standardised product identifier for each item on shipments into the EU. When you book a shipment that needs a customs declaration through the Courier Integration, Cloud POS includes one of the item's aliases in the customs information it sends.
Cloud POS uses the first 13-digit (EAN-13) or 12-digit (UPC) barcode in the item's alias list. 8-digit and 14-digit barcodes aren't used for this. If the item has no 12- or 13-digit barcode, Cloud POS sends the first alias in the list instead, and if the item has no aliases, it doesn't send one.
To help avoid parcels being held or returned at customs, make sure any items you ship to the EU have a valid EAN-13 or UPC barcode as an alias.
