Ecosystem coupons

Different actors are involved in the process of creating, checking, distributing, accepting and refunding national coupons valid in different store formats. They each have a specific role to play.

Please note; this ecosystem is different with in-store coupons issued by supermarkets themselves, or with cash back coupons.

Ecosysteem
Kortingsbonuitgever

Coupon issuer

  • Supplier who sells the products in Belgium and/or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and who conducts a promotional campaign in the form of a national discount voucher.
  • Uniquely identifies the coupon based on a Global Coupon Number (GCN).
  • Registers the coupon information in My Coupon Manager of GS1 or HighCo Data Extranet of the clearinghouse. Both systems synchronize the coupon information with each other.
  • Will refund the supermarkets that have accepted the coupon and consequently granted the consumer a discount through the clearing house

Supermarket

  • Must accept a national coupon and grant the discount to the consumer, as this is legal tender, if all the conditions of the discount voucher are met.
  • Can receive the coupon information via My Coupon Manager so that this check can be done automatically by the cash register system instead of manually by the cashier.
  • In the latter case, also provide the redemption data (overview of accepted coupons per store and per cash register) to GS1 for data quality monitoring and HighCo Data for clearing.
Supermarkt
clearingshouse

Clearingshouse Highco Data

  • Neutral third party that places itself between the coupon issuers and supermarkets.
  • Manages HighCo Data Extranet on which coupon issuers can register coupon information. Coupon issuers are also free to choose to do so on GS1's My Coupon Manager. Both systems synchronize with each other.
  • Receives the redemption data (overview of accepted coupons per store and per checkout) and the physical coupons from the supermarkets.
  • Clears the coupons that have been correctly accepted by supermarkets. This means they will refund the supermarket and reclaim the costs from the coupon issuer.
  • Provides overviews to coupon issuers and supermarkets about the cleared coupons.
    However, they anonymize the data, which means the link between the coupon and the store formula where it is accepted cannot be established

GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg

  • Standards Organization that manages the standard to uniquely identify coupons based on a Global Coupon Number (GCN) and the standard to make this number machine-readable for POS systems by means of a barcode
  • Manages My Coupon Manager on which coupon issuers can register coupon information. Coupon issuers are also free to choose to do this on the clearinghouse's HighCoData Extranet. Both systems synchronize with each other.
  • Generates the Global Coupon Numbers and makes them available in My Coupon Manager or HighCoData Extranet.
  • Manages the protocols to exchange data between My Coupon Manager and the systems of the clearinghouse and supermarkets.
  • Monitors the quality of the information exchanged within the ecosystem, including the coupon information and the redemption data (overview of accepted coupons in supermarkets) and addresses the stakeholders in the event of irregularities. 
  • Facilitates the consultation platform between all stakeholders from the ecosystem
standaarden organisatie
Finance

FOD Financiën

  • Ensures the ruling so that the discount of national discount coupons is exempt from VAT. Thus, a complex process for paying and reclaiming VAT for this discount amount can be avoided.

 

 

 

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fmcg-foodservice@gs1belu.org

+32 2 229 18 88