Why should you use barcode inventory in your stores?
- Eliminate the possibility of human error
- Reduce employee training time
- Unique identifier of products
- Versatile data collection
- Real-time product tracking
One of the most common places to find barcodes is in stores. Barcodes are unique symbols that can be used to distinguish items from one another, making them ideal for identifying products within a store. You might think that this is pretty straightforward—the use of barcodes allows storekeepers to know once something has been bought. But it’s more than that. Besides easy purchase tracking, there are other reasons to use barcode inventory in your stores that will convince you to use barcodes if you aren’t doing so yet.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of those reasons and hopefully encourage you to consider barcodes in your store. But first, let’s understand the barcode system and see how it works.
What’s a Barcode?
Upon first sight, you might wonder what a barcode is. It looks like a square or rectangle with a combination of lines that have different widths and spacings and a row of numbers underneath. But you’d be surprised at what information these lines and numbers can hold. When put together, they represent specific information that’s unique to each barcode. When scanned, this information can be retrieved by a computer and used for identifying, tracking, or analyzing the item it refers to.
There are several benefits to using barcodes, especially in stores, where they are most common. Let’s take a look at these benefits now!
Eliminate the possibility of human error
Barcodes reduce or even eliminate the possibility of human error that would normally happen when item codes are manually entered into a computer. Think of it—instead of typing each product’s item code, a simple scan of the barcode can present you with all the information you need, and this information can be digitally stored as well. No need to worry about typographical errors or fatigue disrupting the accuracy of your workers’ input. No need for manually writing down or typing product names into a sheet. Even official receipts can be created with just a click of a button.
Reduce employee training time
Because there’s less manual work for your employees to do, you get to cut down on the time it takes to train them for their jobs. This reduction of employee training time allows your employees to proceed to work sooner and gives them more time to be productive in worthwhile tasks. New employees can quickly learn the system and contribute to the company’s operations sooner, improving overall productivity and efficiency.
Unique identifier of products
In most stores where there are multiple units of each product, it’s easy to lose track of a specific item. This can make manually taking stock, tracking returns and refunds, and incorporating new items very time-consuming and daunting for your employees. But with a barcode system, all units are accounted for, so all these processes become much simpler.
For example, in the case of a return and exchange, a quick scan of the barcode on an item handed to you by a customer can tell you if the product did come from your shelves, when it was purchased, and how much it cost. From there, it’s much easier to find a replacement item, mark the previous item as returned, and scan the new item to indicate its purchase.
Versatile data collection
Think of all the things you could find in a store. You might then come to the realization: barcodes can be attached to any of those things. Barcodes can be attached to objects of all shapes and sizes, and even living things like animals and people through ID tags. This versatility allows you to experience the benefits of using a barcode system no matter what kind, size, or shape of products you own.
Real-time product tracking
Finally, one of the best benefits of using barcodes in your store is being able to track your products in real time. This is beneficial not just for you, but for your customers as well. For example, if a customer asks for a specific product that they can’t find on the shelf, you can check your system and immediately determine if it’s sold out or just misplaced. And if they want to know how much something costs, a quick scan—that they can do themselves—will tell them.
Key Takeaway
As you can see, there are many benefits you can reap from using a barcode system in your store. It’s much more than knowing when something has been bought. We hope these reasons to use barcode inventory in your stores will convince you to skip the manual inventory process and dive right into using barcodes—we promise you won’t regret it!
If you are interested in using a barcode inventory system, rely on a solutions provider with the right product, expertise, and after-sales service for the job—DynamIQ! Contact us today to know more.
