Barcodes provide a machine-readable representation of data through parallel bars and spaces of varying widths. In 1948, Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland began developing barcode technology, filing the first patent in 1952. Initially used for inventory tracking, the first product scanned with a barcode was a pack of Wrigley's gum in 1974. Barcodes store data through varying widths that are read by scanners and decoded into text information. They enable rapid data collection and accurate tracking of products throughout the retail supply chain.