Check the Label: Why Barcodes Matter in Inventory Management

The days before barcodes were a slower and maybe more gentle time. The storekeeper would ring each item up separately by hand, then enter the prices one by one on a cash register. At the end of the day, the storekeeper would count his or her inventory by cross-checking the items on hand from the list of purchased goods.

Today, stores and other companies are continuously developing ways to track items and their prices, then check them out faster. All this is made possible thanks to the barcode.

Barcoding has become a popular and economical way of controlling inventory, and industries far and wide use its technology. It gives several benefits to your company, some of which are:

Tracking of items is more accurate when your items have a unique barcode label. Today’s barcode scanners are almost error free , with some scanners registering an error rate of one in 10.5 million scans.

When a staff member encodes inventory data by hand or on a computer spreadsheet, human error inevitably is a factor. This is especially the case when a store handles hundreds of items a day. But with one simple barcode scan, a computer automatically processes the information and updates your inventory right away.

Barcode technology used to be expensive, but the abundance of barcodes and availability of inexpensive equipment have made barcodes affordable for organisations. Each barcode label costs only a few cents, and you can enlist the help of barcode label manufacturers to print barcodes according to your business’ needs.

Barcodes lower your costs. You reduce your overhead and training time associated with labour. Also, you lower your costs for carrying excess inventory since barcodes help you track your stock and help prevent ordering in excess.

It’s hard to do business when your staff are not able to track inventory efficiently and accurately. This results in possible over ordering and under ordering and keeping your books in balance can become a nightmare.

Barcoding is an easier way to track an item. Warehouses scan packages as they enter and exit the facility. When the items arrive at the retail store, staff scan the products as they go on shelves or storage. Barcodes also make it easy for workers to store and locate items, as well as make better decisions based on accurate inventory levels.

Businesses often have to make quick and accurate decisions based on available inventory data. Handwritten data or inventory information encoded on a computer spreadsheet takes time to process. On the other hand, data obtained through barcodes is easily available, since the information about an item is scanned directly into the inventory database.

Manual counting of inventory is a monotonous process, especially when a business holds hundreds of items. After counting, workers have to repeat the process to minimise data errors. The whole process could take hours to complete. This process almost dissolves with barcoding.

Need a barcode for your items? Or do you need stickers and other labels for your business? Contact T & D Print, one of New Zealand’s trusted barcode label manufacturers. We provide labels and stickers of different sizes that meet your requirements and budgets. We also supply customised promotional materials like bags, lanyards and stationery that will help make your business’ branding more effective. We value product quality and reliability, and we’ll fulfil your requirements with fast turnaround times.

Contact us on 09 438 1194 or email us on sales@tdprint.co.nz to get a free quote for your business needs.