Many customers ask us, ‘Why is barcoding and labelling important?’ And, ‘Why should I choose barcodes for my asset management?’
To help answer these questions, we have outlined the benefits barcode stickers offer businesses, customers and their advantages over QR codes. Not only are they a fantastic, cost-effective, and reliable solution for small and medium-sized companies, they can also help improve efficiency and reduce overheads.
If you’re not using them, why not? Read on to learn the benefits of the barcode for retail companies, inventory management and more.
Benefits for Businesses
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Enhanced Speed and Accuracy
Using barcode labels helps to minimise human error in your sales and stock-taking processes. Manually entering data leads to mistakes, whereas scanning a barcode is reliable. They also reduce the time to complete inventory management and data entry tasks.
In addition, you can cut down on employee training time by using barcodes. Learning to use a handheld scanner takes minutes, rather than spending hours learning how to manually input an entire inventory or pricing process.
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Improved Inventory Management
One of the use cases where barcode labelling is most important is maintaining accurate inventory records and streamlining inventory management processes. As a result, your business will enjoy improved stock control, preventing overstocking or stockouts. Barcodes give you the ability to track inventory precisely, translating into lower overheads as inventory levels can be reduced. They also allow for real-time inventory updates. Abdalslam states that barcodes can help increase inventory accuracy by 99%.
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Better Product Tracking and Traceability
Barcodes play a crucial role in improving product tracking and traceability throughout the supply chain. This increased visibility allows businesses to keep an eye on their products as they journey from the manufacturer to the end consumer, ensuring the integrity and quality of goods at every stage. By utilising barcodes that comply with GS1 standards, UK businesses can allocate unique identification numbers to their products, equipping them with an effective method for tracking and tracing items across various sectors and international markets.
The superior traceability offered by barcodes brings numerous benefits. It streamlines recall efforts, making pinpointing and withdrawing affected products from the supply chain simpler. This not only protects consumers but also minimises any potential damage to a company's reputation. Furthermore, barcodes assist in guaranteeing product authenticity by empowering businesses to verify their products' legitimacy.
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Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability
Variable barcode labels are inexpensive to design and print, making them a great, cost-effective choice. They’re incredibly versatile, as they can be used for almost any type of data collection. Also, because labels can be attached to most surfaces, they can be used for tracking products, outgoing shipments and even equipment. You can scale your barcode solutions to fit your size business as you grow, be that when you get larger intakes of stock or have more assets to keep track of.
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Enhanced Data Collection and Analysis
Using barcodes for asset and inventory tracking is valuable for any size business. They help you make informed decisions and provide relevant information to enhance customer experiences by optimising processes. When scanning your barcodes, you can keep tabs on best-selling and less popular stock, outline blockages and fix them to benefit your end consumer.
The importance of barcodes on product packaging doesn’t only come down to legal requirements; they have valuable advantages for businesses of many sizes.
Benefits for Customers
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Streamlined Point of Sale Transactions
Barcodes allow for more efficient point-of-sale transactions, as scanning them will rapidly bring up the relevant product information and price for the cashier to complete the purchase. This increases customer satisfaction as everyone is in a rush, and nobody likes to wait! They also ensure precise product information, streamline the returns process, and promote a hassle-free shopping experience.
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Improved Customer Experience
Implementing barcodes contributes to a superior customer experience. They modernise the process and give the customer a simpler purchasing journey. For example, supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s use barcodes and barcode scanners to allow customers to scan as they go. In conjunction with a store’s loyalty card, customers can scan their products as they shop, helping them keep to a budget and allowing for a quicker checkout process.
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Waste Reduction and Sustainability
Barcodes also impact our community as a whole, as they help reduce waste. By employing barcodes, businesses can promote sustainability and waste reduction through optimised inventory management and the elimination of manual data entry. This increased efficiency enables companies to operate in a more eco-friendly manner.
The advantages of using barcodes for customers are extensive, as they have revolutionised the purchasing process, streamlined transactions and reduced waste.
Advantages of Barcodes Over QR Codes
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Compatibility with Legacy Systems
Barcodes are more compatible with a wide range of existing systems and infrastructure, making them easier to integrate into business processes without requiring extensive upgrades.
Barcodes have been widely used across various industries for several decades, making them a well-established and recognised technology. This familiarity allows barcodes to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of legacy systems, which are older technologies still employed by many businesses today. These systems often include point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory management software, and warehouse management systems.
The compatibility of barcodes with legacy systems also means businesses can save time and resources in training their staff. Since many employees are already familiar with barcode technology and its applications, the learning curve is often minimal.
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Faster Scanning Speed
The faster scanning speed of barcodes compared to QR codes is a significant advantage for businesses seeking to optimise their operations. Barcodes can be scanned rapidly, often in just a fraction of a second, enabling companies to process large volumes of data quickly and efficiently. This can be particularly beneficial in fast-paced environments such as retail checkouts, warehouse management, and logistics, where quick data processing is crucial. You also don’t need to rely on recipients using their mobile phones to scan them, like you would with a QR code label.
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Ease of Use and User-Friendliness
The simplicity of barcodes is one of their most appealing features, as they offer a user-friendly solution for businesses looking to manage and track data. Generating a barcode is a straightforward process that can be done using various software tools and online generators. These tools allow businesses to create custom barcodes that can be easily incorporated into product packaging or used for other purposes. They are also more compact and require less space, allowing for further cost savings in printing materials.
Barcodes are best printed on a white material; the higher the contrast, the more readable they are. A popular choice is uncoated paper stickers for less intense uses or white matt vinyl if you need a waterproof option. If you would like an ultra-durable, scratch-resistant asset label, our laminated vinyl is a great choice. If you’re printing a barcode onto a clear vinyl material that won’t be stuck to a white or very light surface, print an area of white ink around the barcode to make it more readable.
Conclusion
With over 5 million barcode scans per day globally, the advantages of using barcodes and barcode scanners in businesses are numerous and far-reaching, benefiting both businesses and their customers. Barcodes also offer some distinct advantages over QR codes, such as better compatibility with legacy systems, faster scanning speeds and overall simplicity. By integrating barcodes and labels into their operations, companies can improve efficiency, reduce errors, enhance customer experiences, and ultimately, drive growth and success!
