SKU UPC History

What is difference between Stock Keeping Unit and Universal Product Code?

[Pathak]

UPC is affixed to the product all through its life cycle, starting from manufacturing till it’s in the customer’s hands. UPC codes are standarized by an international association called GS1 who assigns each manufacturer a unique prefix for using in their UPC barcodes.

Stock-keeping unit (SKU) is a unique number that is used to identify a billable item in a company's inventory. Using these numbers, companies can keep track of the quantities they have in inventory, and they can manage inventory effectively with the use of computerized systems, rather than having to keep track of everything by hand. SKUs are usually unique to the companies where they are used, which means that an identical product can have different numbers if it is handled and sold by different companies.