Service description for Validoo GDSN Supplier

Here you will learn what is included in Validoo GDSN Supplier and how to use the service in practice.

About Validoo

Validoo features Sweden’s largest database of trade item information and product images that follow GS1’s global standard. With Validoo, suppliers can validate, quality-assure, store and share information and images for their products. Our information recipients operate mostly in the retail, food service, apothecary and alcoholic beverage industries. Validoo also has data recipients who are not connected to the GDSN data pool, for example app developers, who get access to trade item information once it has been made public. Product information and product images made public in Validoo will be available both to connected information recipients and to users of our open search service, ProductSearch. 

This is what you get as a GDSN supplier

• Sharing of product information and product images (once made public) with all data recipients connected to the Validoo data pool and media bank. There are two types of data recipients in the Swedish market: Buyer and Receiver. Suppliers can address Buyer from their data pools. Receiver users get access to product information and product images only once they have been made public, which happens on product release date. Receivers in other data pools do not receive access to product information and images – only those connected to Validoo data pool.
• Web-based user interface
• Automatic validation that follows GS1’s standard for trade item information and product images
• Data pool that enables sharing information to other markets
• Media bank for managing product images
• System for ordering quality assurance and image production
• View results for quality assurance and statistics reports per product/image
• Feedback messages from the recipient back to your system.
• Validation results by email
• Product sheet
• Option to set up system-to-system integration to send and receive trade item information to/from Validoo’s Datapool 
• Option to set up system-to-system integration to send and receive images to/from Validoo’s Media Bank and connected to products in Validoo’s Datapool 
• Sharing of public product information in our open search service, ProductSearch. 

How it works

Send, receive and share trade item information and images

For system to system integrations various connections to receive product information from, send and receive images to and from, Validoo according to GS1 standards are available.  The technical specification for the connections are included in the GDSN Supplier agreement between GS1 Sweden and the Supplier. System communication is set up separately and requires at least 1 separate 1 separate GLN for each connection. The connections are individual and supplier unique. 

Recipients in other data pools do not have access to product information and images, as this only applies within Validoo’s Datapool and Media Bank. The same applies to system-to-system integrations, where communication and data exchange takes place only within the framework of Validoo.

Control, storage and sharing of digital trade item information

• Validation Validoo’s system checks that all trade information that suppliers send to the recipient via Validoo follow the global and Swedish validation rules. Two to three times a year, the rules are updated. If you are a Validoo GDSN Supplier customer, validations are also carried out according to the global validation rules in your own data pool outside of Sweden.
• Control of specific rules. Validoo’s system also checks that trade item information follows recipient-specific validation rules if the recipient has chosen to activate any such rule (for example, max values for maximum pallet height or maximum weight for a product).
• Storage of trade item information Validoo stores the latest version of submitted trade item information.
• Sharing trade item information Validoo shares the trade item information that has been approved in quality assurance with the recipients who have created a subscription and to whom the supplier has addressed the trade item information. Through system-to-system integration, suppliers can become recipients of their own trade item information. Other information recipients connected to Validoo get access to the information when it is made public. You can read more here about what determines when trade item information becomes available for other connected recipients read more. A list of attributes from trade item information displayed in GS1 Product Search is available here.

Recipients in other data pools do not have access to product information and images, as this only applies within Validoo’s Datapool and Media Bank.

Quality assurance, managing and sharing product images

• Quality assurance of product images according to Quality assurance rules for product images. From the moment Validoo receives both trade item information and images, it takes 1 to 5 working days before the images are ready for sharing. Images that do not follow the industry’s quality requirements are edited and uploaded by GS1’s image editors. This also applies to quality assurance of images uploaded via system-to-system integration. 
• Management and sharing of product images The product image is linked to trade item information using the product’s GTIN (GS1 global trade item number). The product image is then available to Validoo-connected information recipients and users of ProductSearch, according to a regulatory framework based on how the date in the trade item information is specified. Information on which images will be displayed in the ProductSearch service is available here.
• Through system-to-system integrations, suppliers can become recipients of and upload their own images. 
• Production of Product Images in GS1 Swedens Photo Studio after ordering. The studio performs product photography and production of CGI images (Computer Generated Imagery). From the time Validoo receives the trade item information and product samples, it takes 5 to 10 working days before the images are uploaded and ready for sharing.

Manual quality assurance of trade item information

• Quality Assurance of trade item Information by comparison to a submitted production sample, prototype or print original. Here it is checked that they are coherent and follow the GS1 standard for Trade Item information. See which attributes are checked. From the time Validoo receives the trade item information and product sample, it takes 1 to 5 working days before the result is ready.
• Handling a product sample GS1 Sweden can only handle a sample that has an order connected to it. GS1 Sweden charges for the handling of samples that arrive without a delivery note or that isn´t marked with company name, GLN or GTIN.

Prerequisites for suppliers

• You identify your company with a GLN (GS1 location number) and your products with GTIN (GS1 Global Trade Item Number). These numbers are created with the help of a GS1 Company Prefix which your company subscribes to from GS1 Sweden or another GS1 organization.
• Your company must sign an agreement with Validoo.
• Your company must comply with the terms and conditions and pay the fees according to the valid agreement for Validoo.
• Your company needs to have a GS1 verified system to send article information. See all GS1-verified systems.
• As a GDSN Supplier customer, you must be connected to GDSN via a GDSN data pool other than Validoo 
• The trade item information your company sends via Validoo must follow the current GS1 standard for Trade Item information.
• The images your company sends via Validoo must follow the current GS1 standard for images
• To order a manual quality assurance or photography, your company must have sent current trade item information for the product to the connected recipient. If you do not wish to send trade item information to the recipient before the information has been quality-assured, you can address the information to GS1 Sweden and later address it to your recipient once it has been quality-assured.
• Customers who intend to photograph many products should inform Validoo well in advance of photography. The information makes it possible for Validoo to prioritize and secure resources.
• An order must be placed for each manual quality assurance and image production that is to be performed. Place orders when logged in.
• Physical samples (production samples or prototypes) sent for manual quality assurance must be sent to the address indicated on the delivery note. Digital sample (print original) is uploaded when placing order.
• Physical samples sent for manual quality assurance or photography must be marked correctly and accompanied by the delivery note received when placing the order.
• Physical samples must be received no later than five (5) working days after placing the order. This is a prerequisite in order for Validoo to secure staffing. An order is activated when both product sample and trade item information have been received.

Development and operations

Updating the standard Validoo complies with the standard for Trade Item information developed by GS1 globally. When GDSN (Global Data Syncronization Network) announces a change of version, GS1 Sweden is, according to agreement, obliged to upgrade to the new version in Validoo’s system. GS1 Sweden announces the change of version to connected customers approximately six months before the change takes place.

Ongoing development New or changed functionality in Validoo is developed and launched at customers’ request. The changes are planned and prioritized based on complexity, customer demand and customer benefit, and there are no fixed launch dates.

Always operating Validoo normally operates 24 hours a day, every day of the week. However, the operation is under certain times unattended and disturbances may occur during these times. In addition, disturbances in the operation can occur even at other times due to both planned interruptions for maintenance and similar measures as limited unplanned interruptions.

Support

GS1 Sweden Customer Service will help you by phone and email Monday-Friday.

Customer list

Here you can see which suppliers and recipients are customers of Validoo. You can also find out which GLN (GS1 location number) companies use. Show customer list.

Not connected to the GDSN yet?

If you are not connected to any other data pool, we can help you get started.