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Does your shop have both an online and offline presence? Do you struggle to update what’s in stock on the online store because of busy periods in your shop. If so, maybe it’s time to start using barcode scanners at your physical point of sale.
The Days of Simple Cash Registers Are Done
Many smaller retailers still use a simple system of price stickers and a manual cash register, perhaps with a contactless card reader for the purposes of taking credit or debit cards. While you may feel this system is fine if your store only sells goods face-to-face, it doesn’t work so well for hybrid establishments.
One common problem store owners face when they sell products both online and in their bricks and mortar shop is dealing with disappointed online customers when they have to tell someone that the order they placed can’t be filled because someone came into the shop and purchased the last of a popular product before the product could be removed from the shelves.
Online Stores Need Instant Updates
If you want to sell products online as well as in-store, and you’re maintaining one inventory for both, you’ll need a hybrid electronic Point of Sale system that updates the online store when goods are sold at your bricks and mortar store. You’ll also need to have the system alert shop workers so they can remove items from the shelves for packaging and processing if they’re purchased online.
It’s possible to update your store’s database by typing in the details of each product when they’re sold, but this would be slow and error-prone. If you sell a high volume of products, your customers could become frustrated as you tally the sale up.
Barcode Scanners: Instant Updates
Barcode scanners are ideal for situations where you need to quickly update a database based on the sale of a product. Your cashiers can simply scan each product at the till and the ePOS system will update the till with the total cost of the sale, while automatically updating the stock database in the background.
This is helpful for many reasons:
Bulk purchases can be calculated quickly and easily
The system calculates tax automatically
Barcodes can accurately classify products, no mistakes due to the cashier selecting the wrong size/color or flavor
There’s no data entry work required, just scan and go
In-store customers have their purchases processed more quickly
Online shoppers are more likely to get the order they want, fulfilled instead of being told it’s out of stock
If you already have a point of sale system that works in-store and integrates with your Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento online store, a barcode system would be a logical upgrade for you. There are a variety of scanners available, including Bluetooth devices that can be used in smaller stores or at concessions where there’s limited access to electrical plugs, and traditional wired devices to plug into your computer.
If you haven’t used a barcode system before, you may need to set up your product catalog to include the barcodes of the products. If you’re part of a franchise or use a white label store you may already have all that information pre-loaded into the store, which means you’re good to go.
Upgrade Your Store With Barcode Scanners Today
Barcode scanners are a boon for retailers who need to be able to scan goods at the checkout quickly and efficiently. They’re even more useful for those who have online and physical stores and who need to reconcile the goods between the two inventories. Contact us today if you’d like to know more about our range of barcode scanners.
