(UPC)
A 12-digit code attached to an item that, when scanned, collects data about a product's style, color, and size. This data provides "real time," point-of-sale (POS) information that is relayed to a vendor's data system via electronic data exchange. Retailers use the information for reorders and other business analysis tasks.
Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry. Francesca Sterlacci and Joanne Arbuckle.