Why You Need an Inventory Management Software With Barcode Scanner

What is an Inventory Management Software with Barcode Scanner?

An inventory management software is a system that works to streamline and manage your business's inventory. Modern inventory management systems partner with a barcode system (which includes a barcode scanner ) to make stocktake swift and easy. With the barcode inventory process, each inventory item is assigned a unique barcode. A barcode is a machine-readable data set about a product, encoding information about it like manufacturer's name, dates of manufacture and expiry, weight, and so on. It's something like a product id.
Of the different types of barcodes around, the series of lines and spaces are most popular.

Barcodes are scanned by a Barcode Scanner to identify an item. Barcodes help the stock-taker secure every relevant detail about the product with just a scan. Barcode software enables the scanner to read a barcode and transfer it to the inventory software, where the data is organized accurately and efficiently in seconds. A barcode scanner is an easy use tool that gets inventory done in minutes, freeing up stocktaking staff to focus on other tasks.

However, an inventory management software that works with a barcode scanner does more than simply scan and sort barcode labels . It goes beyond basic inventory control, allowing the bar to practice better demand planning, spot shrinkage, and reminding it to reorder when par levels are hit. With the inventory software you can track order management and sales in a far more sophisticated and seamless way than manual stocktake allows.

How Does an Inventory Management Software with Barcode Scanner Work?

You think you've devised the best manual inventory system on the block. Yet you find yourself in the storeroom on a Friday night, desperately hunting for that bottle of Widow Jane in your bourbon bins. You have to admit it, manual inventory is best left to the twentieth century.

An inventory Management System on the other hand can handle inventory tracking in less time than it would take to stir a vodka martini. A bartender has only to search the inventory app for the liquor in question, and its exact location, number of available bottles and liquor level in each will show up on the screen.
Upshot- time saved, customer served, customer satisfied!

Here's how inventory management gets a facelift with inventory software and a barcode scanner -

In a barcode inventory system , you have a barcode inventory management software and a hand-held barcode scanner that work together to accurately keep track of liquor inventory. Liquor bottles come with barcode labels that contain their unique product code. A barcode scanner scans the label, reads its barcode or QR code and sends the data to the inventory tracking system to file.

The inventory barcode can be used to keep track of the movement of every bottle in the inventory, across the bar and across multiple locations of the bar. This not only reduces the time and effort it takes for inventory management but also makes the process more accurate. Similarly, when a bottle needs to be pulled up from the shelves or storeroom (you can't remember where it is) all you have to do is enter the bottle's name or product code into the inventory system and the bottle will show up, with its exact location in the bar, price, quantity and so on.

Managing inventory can be time-consuming and error-prone without the right tools . . .

. . . like an inventory management software with barcode scanner. No idea how they work? We’ll tell you.

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5 Benefits of an Inventory Management Software with Barcode Scanner

Inventory management software has long played a role in liquor warehouse management helping keep track of bottle movement right down the supply chain . Its role in retail is now becoming increasingly amplified for the speed and convenience it brings to the bar. Partnered with a barcode scanner it cuts down inventory time by more than half. But there's a lot more to the barcode scanner and inventory software than speed.

1. A barcode scanner makes stocktake accurate. The scanner records precise data in the inventory software , eliminating room for human error. The data is organized neatly by the inventory program, making it child's play to search and retrieve product information.
   
2. Inventory with a Barcode Scanner is so simple, you could do it with your eyes shut. This saves time it would have taken to train new staff in the manual method. The system's easy use makes it a pleasure to work with. No more complaints and backaches over stocktake.
3. Order management is streamlined and better controlled. Inventory software can prompt a purchase order when par levels are reached, making sure a bar never runs dry. By assimilating invoices and order history into the inventory, the software allows a bar to get a better grip on its costs. The bar manager can review sales orders over a period of time and angle for better deals with vendors.
4. Inventory software can integrate with accounting software to produce real-time reports on variance, shrinkage, and pour cost. Metrics like these helps a bar identify loss-making leaks in the system. They also help determine optimum menu pricing and cost-cutting measures to nudge profits up.
   
5. Being cloud-based, inventory software allows real time tracking of a bar's stock anywhere, on any device. Compatibility with iOS-Android platforms adds to its versatility. Order management can take place remotely. What's more, a bar owner or manager can review the numbers anywhere in the world and make business decisions on the go.
   

Best Inventory Management Software With Barcode Scanners in the Market

1. ZipBartender- This is a dedicated bar inventory management software that's ideal for both, a large operation as well as a small business determined to improve inventory control. Apart from what every other inventory management system can do, ZipBartender stands out for its superior analytics that crunches numbers to provide real time , actionable insights that can turn a business around.
   
2. BinWise- While BinWise's inventory control software uses the barcode scanning system to automate the inventory process, it can also integrate with the POS system of a bar. BinWise also offers real time insights and analyses crucial for any business.
   
3. BevSpot- BevSpot is an inventory management app that promises fast and accurate inventory management with barcode scanning. Its features include recipe management and order management.
   
4. InFlow Inventory- The InFlow Inventory system is a full-fledged inventory management solution that supports sales order management, purchase order tracking and provides comprehensive inventory control solutions.
   
5. Zoho Inventory- This is available in both free and paid versions. The limited-features free inventory system promises easy use and will serve any small business well.
   

Inventory Management Software With Barcode Scanner vs Smartphone

Most modern inventory management software are compatible with smartphones. Stock takers need only scan Barcode Labels or QR codes with their tablet or phone camera for inventory data to be filed in the cloud-based inventory management program. However, although this reduces a bar's outlay on handheld barcode scanners and barcode readers, smartphones may not be the best tool for retail inventory management.

Smartphones are not dedicated scanning devices like barcode scanners that are singularly purposed for barcode scanning . Using a phone as a scanner reduces the efficiency and speed of the inventory process. Additionally, having an employee conduct and have access to business data on their personal device may compromise the bar's inventory data.

An expanding business means an expanding inventory. You’ll need all the help you can get managing it.

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Cost of an Inventory Management Software with Barcode Scanner

There are several inventory management software options in the market. Some are free to use and ideal for a small business . A free inventory system comes with multiple useful features like barcode scanning , par level alerts, and report generation. However, these software tend to be restrictive. They are often limited to a small number of users and devices on which inventory can be taken.

Countering this is the subscription-based barcode inventory system available at a monthly, quarterly or annual fee. Price slabs are between $60 and $500 and higher. Pricing of inventory software depends on the range of features the app offers, and the number of users and devices to which it allows access. Paid software also provides dedicated customer care, which can be of great help to a bar switching over to a new inventory management solution .

Inventory Management Software With Barcode Scanner FAQs

Q1- How can a cloud based inventory management software help my business grow?
A- From generating reports on inventory status, to order management, the right inventory system can handle a raft of business operations intuitively and creatively. Detailed reports and forecasts give you an overview of your business. They show you how to leverage in-demand brands for optimum menu pricing, and point out shrinkage and variance to help you tighten the bolts where needed. Inventory software also helps with better demand planning, allowing you to calibrate orders with sales. All of this can help reduce losses and raise profits.

Q2- Is it important to integrate inventory with a POS system?
Most bar inventory management software allows you to integrate your inventory system with the bar's POS system for better tallying of sales and purchase. It gives you an overview of costs and revenue, pointing out discrepancies and helping you pinpoint reasons for loss. Demand planning is done easily with such integration, as historical sales orders help chart demand trends, helping a bar prepare well for them.

If there’s one thing to make any business owner see red, it’s inaccurate inventory.

Inventory management software with barcode scanner guarantees accurate inventory every time. Interested?

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