How to start using a barcode scanner for inventory

The setup, in order

• Step 1 — choose the moments: receiving, picking, counting. Start with one, not three.
• Step 2 — sort the codes: supplier barcodes scan as-is; internal labels only where needed.
• Step 3 — pick the hardware you already own: a phone browser scans; a desk wedge is faster at the bench.
• Step 4 — run the first receipt: one purchase order, scanned carton by carton.
• Step 5 — run the first count: one aisle, scanned and reconciled, before attempting a full stocktake.

Choose the moments before the hardware

A scanner is an input device — it types a code into a field. The value comes from what the software does next, so the setup question is which moments of your day should receive a scan. Receiving is the usual first choice: every carton opened is scanned against its purchase order, quantities count in immediately, and short ships surface on the day, not at month end. Picking is the second: scanning each line into the box catches wrong products while they are still in the building. Counting is the third and the habit-former: scanned cycle counts keep the record permanently honest.

Teams that begin by unboxing scanners for every bench get the hardware without the workflow. Begin with one moment, prove the record improves, and let the other two follow. The how-to walkthrough covers what each scan does in more depth.

Sort your codes, then scan the first receipt

Most packaged stock already carries a supplier barcode, and those scan as-is — no labelling project required. Internal codes are only needed where the supplier never pre-coded: repacked items, made-to-order goods, and locations such as bins and racks. Print those with any labelling tool as you go; do not wait for a complete label audit before starting, because that is where scanning projects go to die.

The first receipt proves the loop. Open the purchase order in BSimple, scan each item as the carton opens, and watch the goods-receipt update live stock — variances flagged on the spot, from any phone browser. No dock-to-stock lag, no one re-keying the delivery docket at a desk at 4pm. If the desk is where the work happens, a keyboard-wedge scanner is the faster input; the phone covers everywhere else.

Where BSimple fits

We build BSimple, so weigh that. Scanning is included, not an add-on: receive against purchase orders, pick against orders, count stocktakes and trace batches — all writing to the same live record that ordering, purchasing and invoicing read from. Batch and lot detail with use-by dates comes along for businesses where provenance matters. Plans start at $180/month (AUD), and the free trial is where to scan your own first carton.

For the surrounding decisions: barcode inventory management covers the practice end to end, the barcode generator question separates scanning from label printing, and the scanning-with-tracking guide shows the trail scans leave behind them.