Enhance shelf management with Barcode scanning for smartphones
The key to boosting sales for small retail business owners is a well-functioning shelf management, which is about the efficient management of existing shelf space. In order to make shelf management work, retailers need to put in place strategies based on data-driven decisions. It often relies on employees going through aisles and scanning product barcodes with dedicated devices. This process can generate unwanted pain points that barcode scanning for smartphones can help levitate.
In order to present this solution, we are going to elaborate on three key questions:
- What troubles does shelf management face?
- What are the main benefits of using mobile barcode scanning for shelf management?
- How can Anyline’s barcode scanning be integrated?
Jump to key topics
Jump to key topics
What troubles does shelf management face?
Even though most shelf management systems are already up and running and doing a great job so far, there still are a couple of pain points that could easily be avoided.
Inventory management
One example for one of those pain points is concerning the way inventory is done. Inventory management, which visualizes fast-selling from slow-selling products as well as alarm employees when products are missing, is probably one of the most important elements of shelf management. By comparing what the shelves do look like from what they should look like, employees know whether they need to replenish the inventory or see if there are potential security breaches.
This however requires to know exactly what’s in stock, which can be overwhelming to say the least. Without technology this task could even be considered impossible, therefore retailers started equipping their employees with barcode scanning devices to help them create an inventory list.
Merchandising
While inventory management is a huge part of shelf management systems, another very important incentive is about making the most out of your store layout and retail displays and using your shelf space in the most efficient way. Retailers therefore need to think of how to organize their products and how to create a clear and logical separation between product departments, so that their customers can locate items quickly and easily.
This thoughtful organization of products however can get easily disturbed by the customers themselves, who are likely to dislocate smaller products from their original place. This creates more workload for the employees, who not only should still keep track of the stock, but at the same time rearrange the shelves in the original way.
What makes barcode scanning for smartphones better than dedicated laser scanners
Needless to say that there are multiple benefits to barcode scanners for shelf management. However, technology is advancing quickly and retail business owners cannot afford to replace their barcode scanner for the newest or top-notch barcode scanner multiple times per year. This is where barcode scanners, that can be implemented into a mobile application or a website, step in.
In order to be able to do shelf management in a proper way, retail shop owners already use handheld laser scanners. However, the better way to do it is by using barcode scanners that you can integrate into an existing software or web-based application and make use of all their advantages.
Making use of a display
Keeping track of every product there is in a retail store is already hard enough. So of course there’s a need for a technology that allows your employees to properly visualize where’s what and where it should be and not only how much there is left of it. Furthermore, using a barcode scanner application on a smart device, which usually has a big screen, allows your employees to get further information on a product.
More options to interact with the shelf
Due to barcode scanning, your employees don’t have to be limited to price tags on the shelf anymore, which sometimes can be misleading or wrong. Thanks to barcode scanning, they can simply scan a product’s barcode with their smartphone or tablet, which then shines up on their screen. This allows the employees to then directly request the missing product from the shelf, so that it can be restocked as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Flexible to fit each user
Depending on how you want to use the barcode scanner, you could integrate it into a web-based application, or implement it into a workforce mobile application which would work even without connection to the Internet.
Bring your own device (BYOB)
With mobile barcode scanners, the necessity for retail owners to spend money on hardware that can only be used for one single purpose gets eliminated. Instead of hardware they can therefore invest in a mobile application that can be used by their employees on their very own smart devices. Trends like these therefore reduce costs, since multiple functions can be done with one single smart device. Moreover, due to the fact that employees already know their way around their smart device, the possibility for errors due to misuse of the device get eliminated.
In addition to bringing more features and more options, both for store managers and employees, barcode scanners using mobile devices camera perform as well as laser scanners, if not better:
Accuracy and Speed
Since barcode scanners are evolving quickly and getting faster and more accurate by the minute, it is hard for retail owners to afford the newest barcode technology. In order to be able to keep up with the continuously advancing technology, retail owners should go for mobile barcode scanners instead of hardware devices. That way, instead of always purchasing a new device, they could simply update their software.
Integration of Anyline’s barcode scanner
By integrating Anyline barcode scanning technology into your retail app or website, you can allow your employees to use their mobile devices as barcode scanners which are able to read up to 500 barcodes per minute. Besides its speed, Anyline also works under bad lighting conditions and can even scan damaged or partially obscured barcodes. Moreover, Anyline’s barcode scanner is able to perform on over 40 different types of 1D, 2D and stacked linear barcode symbologies.
With Anyline’s mobile software development kit (SDK), it can support not only a variety of platforms, but can also be integrated into your backend systems.
Anyline works with any smartphones and device running Android, iOS or UWP, and supports integration frameworks such as Xamarin, Cordova, Flutter and React Native. It can also be integrated to web-based application to fit all uses. Retailers can add new features and upgrades, and the software can be scaled to meet their needs.