• Small businesses can create barcodes in Excel using a barcode font such as Code 39 to avoid additional software costs.
• Barcodes enhance operational efficiency in many ways, like tracking inventory, organizing shelves, labeling documents, and managing pallets or containers. 
•  Implementing barcodes doesn’t require technical know-how and has minimal to no start-up costs. 
• Barcodes reduce human error, speed up processes, and improve customer satisfaction.
• While creating barcodes in Excel is a budget-friendly solution, it has limitations compared to specialized software like inFlow, which offers advanced barcoding and inventory management features.

It’s no secret around here how much we love barcodes. Few things provide the same amount of value and function when it comes to managing inventory. In addition to tracking product flow, barcodes are great for a myriad of other applications. For instance, you can use them for asset tracking, barcoding shelves, documents, and warehouse pallets or containers.

If you’re having an inventory-related issue, barcodes may help alleviate it. Small businesses, however, may find implementing them daunting. They require some know-how and a bit of extra hardware, but the truth is that just about anyone can implement barcodes at little to no additional cost.

For example, many small businesses create barcodes in Excel when they’re just starting out. You read that right– Excel. Today, we’ll be going over how to create barcodes in Excel and why it might make sense for your business. 

Why are barcodes so important? 

First things first, though: why? If we haven’t made that abundantly clear by now, the answer is simple: barcodes are incredibly useful.

For example, you can place a barcode on a warehouse shelf and code it to carry information for every product on that shelf. This can help employees locate products more quickly and increase customer satisfaction by reducing customer lead time. 

You can also use QR codes on documents to quickly link to valuable resources and information. This could significantly increase the efficiency of your shipping and receiving process, saving your employees time.

Another popular use case is LPN barcodes. These barcodes are placed on pallets, shipping containers, and other warehouse moveables and are integral to managing inventory in large, busy warehouses.    

In short, barcodes have many different uses. Their use cases are really only limited by your imagination. 

How barcodes in Excel work

Not all barcodes are the same. For example, a QR code is a type of barcode, but it’s distinctly different from the black-and-white stripes you see in stores. We refer to different barcode formats as barcode symbologies. Some of these symbologies are easily accessible through barcode fonts, and these fonts are how you create barcodes in Excel.

It’s as simple as installing your barcode font and then typing it in Excel like any other font. From there, you can create barcodes using alphanumeric characters. 

Why create barcodes in Excel?

Strange as it may sound, there’s a few reasons to create barcodes in Excel. For starters, it’s fairly easy and accessible to just about anyone. Businesses tend to use Excel for one thing or another, so it’s really just expanding its use case.

Investing in a new system or software is going to cost money. There’s no way around it. However, if you create barcodes in Excel, software you’ve already bought and paid for, you save on purchasing something new. This means you can start to get the benefits of barcodes at no added costs to your business.   

How to generate barcodes in Excel

First, you’ll need Excel (duh).

Next, you’ll need a barcode font. For this guide, we’ll use the Code 39 barcode font. This font initially only had 39 characters, hence the name. However, it has since expanded to contain up to 43 individual characters and is widely used for internal inventory management. We created our own free Code 39 barcode font, which you can download below. 

<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; display: inline-flex; flex-direction: column;"><a class="inflow-button" href="https://www.getdrip.com/forms/381769907/submissions/new" data-drip-show-form="381769907">Get the inFlow Code 39 font</a><span class="disclaimer">You are minutes away from typing out barcodes</span></div></div>

Installing and using the barcode font

Once you’ve downloaded the font, you’ll find two TTF files: machine-readable and human-and-machine-readable. If you want the characters to appear below the barcode when you type it out, you’ll want to download the human-and-machine-readable. Otherwise, you can download the machine-readable version.

Installing and using the barcode fonts works like any other font. Once installed, you simply select the font from the list of available fonts, and like magic, your keystrokes will now generate barcodes.

One thing to keep in mind when generating barcodes is that for a scanner to read them, you’ll need to start and end each code with an asterisk (*). These symbols are a way of telling the scanner when to start and stop reading the code. So, for example, if you want to create a barcode for M32D67G, you would need to type *M32D67G*.

Setting up your barcode generator in Excel 

Now that we have our barcode font ready, it’s time to create a spreadsheet in Excel that will act as our barcode generator. We’ll only need two columns: columns A and B. We’ll use column A to type in the characters of our barcode, and column B will be the cell that will generate the barcodes. The setup process looks like this:

1. Start by formatting column A so that it leaves numbers as plain text rather than equations or scientific notation. To do this, right-click column A and select “Format Cells”.
2. When the context menu appears, select the “Number” tab.
3. In the “Category” column, select “Number” and click “OK”.
4. To automate the process of putting asterisks on both sides of our text, we can enter the following formula into column B: =”*”&A1&”*”
5. Once you input the formula, apply it to the entire column. You can do this by selecting the relevant cell and then dragging down from the bottom right of said cell.
6. To finish your barcode generator, select column B and change the font for the entire column to the barcode font you installed.   

Important: We assume you’re also using columns A and B, but you can use any of them. You’ll need to adjust the formula, but that’s simple. For C1, replace A1 in the formula, F4 for F4, and so on. 

Creating your barcodes in Excel

Now that you have the spreadsheet set up, things are pretty simple. Whatever you type in column A should appear in column B as a barcode. And since we set the formula in column B to include the asterisks, we don’t need to worry about those in our codes.  

And that’s it! Now, you have a barcode generator in Excel. What codes you use for your products is really up to you. You may want to use random numbers and letters or build in some sort of naming convention. The important thing is that you connect those codes to your products in whatever system you’re using to track your inventory.    

What to do after you’ve generated your barcodes

Generating barcodes in Excel is great, but now what? Once you have your barcodes ready, you can print them out and attach them to your inventory. There are several options when it comes to barcode label printers, but if money is an issue, a standard office printer would work just fine.

The same goes for barcode scanners. While there are a number of options depending on your use case, the camera on a smartphone can also function as a barcode scanner. How the scanner functions will depend on which software you use with your barcodes. For example, if your inventory sheet is in Excel, a scanner could populate cells simply by scanning a barcode.

You can use the same function to search for a barcode in your Excel sheet. Just hit Ctrl + F to bring up the find menu and scan your barcode. It should populate into the text line, and from there, you can quickly look up the inventory connected to that barcode. 

How inFlow’s built-in barcoding system can help

Now that you know how to create barcodes in Excel, you can start to use them in your business. Keep in mind, though, that this isn’t a perfect solution. It gets the job done, but there are some inherent limits to using Excel as a barcode generator. 

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re using Excel to generate barcodes, you’re also using it to track your inventory. While Excel is certainly an option for managing your inventory, when it comes to getting the most out of barcodes, it falls short.

Software solutions like inFlow offer inventory management with built-in barcoding functionality. Our software allows you to create detailed product listings that include all the information about your inventory, including pictures. We enable you to generate barcodes for your products and design custom barcode labels with our built-in label designer.

With inFlow, you get more than just a barcode generator. You get a full-fledged inventory management system at an affordable price.

The post How to Generate Barcodes in Excel for Inventory Management appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

• You can create a barcode using a free UPC barcode generator, but it will not be genuine.
• Universal Product Code, or UPC, refers to barcode symbology used in North America and other parts of the world.
• A UPC barcode is encoded with a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) through a not-for-profit organization known as GS1.
• GS1 is the sole provider of globally accepted UPC barcodes. 
• Most retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, require a product to have an active GTIN encoded into the UPC. 
• It’s best to avoid UPC barcode resellers to avoid potential legal issues.

Since the explosion of ecommerce in the past decade, products have been getting into the consumer’s hands in record time. Anything we could ask for is just a few clicks away from being at our doorstep within 24 hours. Many contributors make that possible, but a major one is barcodes. They streamline the entire supply chain by making inventory management quick, easy, and more accurate. Despite their importance, however, figuring out how to actually obtain them can be confusing– and a bit headache-inducing. 

Today, we’ll be going over what Universal Product Code (UPC) barcodes are, why they’re so crucial for modern businesses, and other things, such as whether or not you can use a free UPC barcode generator. 

Why are barcodes so important?

The average consumer only regularly sees one use of barcodes: to tally up their total at checkout. And while that’s undoubtedly one of their primary use cases, they offer much more behind the scenes.

Barcodes are great for tracking inventory levels, keeping an eye on asset usage, and you can utilize LPN barcodes to enhance your warehouse management. You can even use barcodes on shelves and documents. The possibilities are endless. However, because they keep track of sales, they’re also an essential part of accounting. 

They’re not quite a necessity– some businesses that primarily offer services, for example, may not need them. However, most common services like electrical and plumbing often need to track their components and equipment internally. 

In short, they’re a critical component of running a modern business. There’s a reason practically every business under the sun uses them– things are just more difficult and time-consuming without them. 

UPC barcode definition

For starters, lets go over what is a UPC barcode. A UPC barcode refers to a specific barcode symbology businesses in North America and many other parts of the world use on their products. You’ve almost certainly seen one of these barcodes somewhere; they’re on basically every item in every store. These barcodes are encoded with a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), registered by GS1 (more on GS1 below).  

Now, if you search “UPC barcode generator,” you’re bound to find a few online barcode generators that are totally free to use. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with using these barcode generators; you’ll undoubtedly get a UPC barcode from them. However, the barcodes they produce won’t be authentic. This means they won’t be registered with GS1 or recognized globally by other organizations.  

Most popular retailers require products to have officially registered UPC barcodes for their products to ensure their authenticity. Even online retailers like Amazon and Walmart require them for products to be listed on their sites.

Who is GS1?

Now, you’re probably wondering: Who is GS1, and why do they matter? GS1 is an essential figure in the business world—it is the only official global provider of UPC barcodes. That might seem strange, considering that most markets try to avoid monopolies, but GS1 is a not-for-profit organization, and they’re not doing this to line their own pockets. They aim to bring standardized systems worldwide. Of course, barcodes are a significant part of that. 

Nowadays, the global supply chain involves hundreds of different countries. Imagine if every country developed its own barcodes independently of one another. This would make it incredibly difficult to maintain the supply chain and make collaboration nearly impossible. The role of GS1 is to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding processes, including barcodes.

Do free online UPC barcode generators work?

Plenty of tools online claim to be free online UPC barcode generators. However, the reality is that the UPC barcodes generated by these tools lack the most critical component that makes UPCs valuable, and that’s the GTIN.

If you use an online UPC barcode generator, your barcodes will work fine within your barcoding software, but that’s about it. If you’re just generating barcodes for in-house use, then there’s no real problem with that. However, if you want Amazon, Walmart, and other large retailers to recognize them, you need to go through GS1. 

Where to find an authentic UPC barcode generator?

There’s a few different ways to get your hands on authentic UPC barcodes. The easiest, most obvious way is to order them straight from GS1. When you purchase from GS1, you have two options: buy them individually or license them under a company prefix. Depending on how many barcodes you license, both the initial and annual fees will vary. For 1-10, there’s a $250 initial fee and $50 annual. 1-100 is $750 and $150 respectively. To 1,000, it’s $2500 and $500. The prices continue to increase at both 10,000 barcodes and 100,000 barcodes. 

Licensing under a company prefix has benefits, most of which apply to businesses operating in multiple locations and/or countries.

Alternatively, you can use a UPC barcode generator from authorized partners. inFlow’s GTIN barcode shop is the easiest way to purchase retailer-ready UPC barcodes. Just enter your product and company information, and head to check out—no renewals– just a one-time $30 fee per barcode.

What about UPC resellers?

It’s best to avoid UPC resellers for several reasons. First, they may be illegally selling you something they do not own. The only UPC barcodes that can be legally resold are those created before the 2002 lawsuit.

In 2002, the Uniform Code Council, or UCC, who would later become GS1, lost a class action suit. As a result, the owners of any barcodes before 2002 can legally sell them. And to be clear, there’s a ton of them out there. However, they don’t count as an active license, meaning retailers like Amazon and Walmart won’t accept them. 

And then there’s also the illegal part of things. If the barcode doesn’t fall into that category, it’s a registered business asset belonging to someone else. That means it’s something they can’t legally sell you, and you can’t legally use it either. 

Getting all UPCs directly from GS1 or authorized partners like us is the best option. While there is a small initial investment, it will save you massive headaches down the road.

The bottom line is that GS1 is the only true UPC barcode generator.

The post Understanding UPC Barcode Generators and How They Work appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

• Barcodes for manufacturing have various benefits, such as improved shipping and receiving, end-to-end traceability, better equipment management, and cost tracking.
• Manufacturers should only consider GS1 barcodes for finished goods
• You can create free, custom barcodes for internal tracking of components and assets.
• Flexible barcode creation options include barcode fonts, generators, or integrated software.
• A functional barcode system requires barcodes, a scanner, a printer, and software.

We may not realize it, but behind the scenes, barcodes play an essential part in our everyday lives. They’re a vital part of the global supply chain, ensuring the smooth flow of goods from the beginning of the product journey til the end. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the supply chain would simply not function as efficiently as it does today without barcodes. 

While it’s true that most businesses can benefit from adopting barcodes, manufacturers, in particular, stand to benefit the most. But why is that? And what should you, as a manufacturer, keep in mind when implementing barcodes for manufacturing?

Why are barcodes for manufacturing important?

Simply put, manufacturers use barcodes for more things. For example, retailers typically use barcodes to track product stock levels and inventory movement. Some may also use them for a handful of other use cases, such as barcoding on shelves, documents, or expensive business assets.

On the other hand, manufacturers need to track all that and more. The manufacturing process generally has more moving parts than the average retailer. Manufacturers need to source a variety of different materials and components, keep track of what they use and don’t use, and track what stage of the process individual components are in. A barcode tracking system lets them keep track of that process in real-time.

In short, there’s a lot of moving pieces, and using barcodes makes it easier to track everything. Luckily, most inventory management systems include some sort of barcode functionality. So, chances are, even if you’re not using barcodes yet, you should be able to get started with them quickly enough. That’s assuming you’re using the right barcode manufacturing software. 

Using a barcode system isn’t outright necessary, but lacking one can be crippling, as competitors will have a distinct advantage. 

The benefits of barcodes for manufacturing

Manufacturers who utilize barcodes will see several benefits across their organization. Some of the major advantages are:

• Tracking stock levels – barcodes help monitor stock levels in real-time, making it easy to track raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP), and finished goods.
• Improved shipping and receiving – barcodes help streamline the pick-pack-and-ship workflow and make shipping and receiving fast and easy. 
• Traceability – barcodes provide end-to-end traceability so you can easily track all your components as they travel through the manufacturing process.
• Equipment tracking – manufacturers can use barcodes to manage expensive equipment and machinery, ensure it’s always where it should be, and monitor its state of repair. 
• Cost tracking – accurately tracking cost of goods manufactured (COGM) is among the most essential things a manufacturer can do, and barcodes make this process much simpler.

Do manufacturers need registered GS1 barcodes?

There are a few ways to get barcodes for manufacturing. The “official” way is to purchase them through GS1. They’re a non-profit business entity that seeks to connect places around the globe using the same barcode language. If manufacturers make their own unique product in-house, it’s a good idea to register it with an official GS1 barcode. 

With that said, that doesn’t mean manufacturers need to use GS1 barcodes for the whole process. If anything, it’s a bad idea. 

The reality is that GS1 barcodes are great for product authenticity and traceability and are a requirement if you want to sell your finished goods in major retail stores. However, there is no need to use them throughout the manufacturing process. You should reserve GS1 barcodes for finished products that are ready for sale.

So what about all the other barcodes you’ll need? You’ll be happy to hear you can make those barcodes in-house completely free! Here’s how.

How do you create barcodes for manufacturing?

Unlike GS1 barcodes, when you create your own barcodes, they won’t be recognized by any outside organization. This means the only barcodes that matter to the outside world are the ones on your finished products. So feel free to create custom barcodes for all your components, assets, shelves, and anything else you want to track internally. 

You have a few options to create barcodes for manufacturing:

• Barcode font – A barcode font isn’t much different from any other font you see in Word or Google Docs. Instead of changing the style of letters and numbers, a barcode font takes alphanumeric characters and translates them into barcodes.
• Barcode generator – A barcode generator is a tool used to generate barcodes in various barcode symbologies. Many free barcode generators are available online, each with varying functionality. 
• Barcode manufacturing software – If you use barcode manufacturing software, chances are there may be a built-in barcode generator. For example, inFlow allows you to quickly generate barcodes of various symbologies with the click of a button. You can even create QR codes!

Where should you use barcodes?

The great thing about barcodes is just how versatile they can be. Manufacturers can use barcodes for many things, including barcoding components, shelves, documents, assets, finished products, etc. LPN barcodes, for example, are used by manufacturers to track the contents of large moveable bins. 

Manufacturers can use barcodes for their subassemblies and all of the components that go in a bill of materials (BOM). The bill of materials is a recipe that lists all the components that go into manufacturing a finished product. It’s a crucial tool for any manufacturer, and using barcodes to collect the necessary components for a BOM will increase speed and accuracy. 

The possibilities are endless when it comes to barcodes for manufacturing! 

What will you need to get started?

Using barcodes for manufacturing is essential for modern businesses, but the barcodes themselves are just one part of a system. You’ll need a few more things to get up and running. Every barcode system has four key components: barcodes, scanners, printers, and barcode manufacturing software.

In terms of a printer, any office jet printer will do if you’re looking for the cheapest option. Still, we recommend investing in a dedicated label printer for high-volume printing environments. For a scanner, you can get by using your smartphone if money is an issue. But if you’re scanning a lot, investing in a barcode scanner is best. There are many different options for both of these, so we recommend reading our articles on barcode scanners and printers to better understand which one would be right for you. 

Wrapping up

While there are new technologies that seek to improve on barcodes, at the time of writing, they’re prohibitively expensive. Barcodes remain the primary method that manufacturers use to track their workflow and material/component levels. That won’t be changing anytime soon.

The post Barcode System for Manufacturing: What You Need to Succeed appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

• Companies use an LPN barcode in logistics to track and trace.
• LPN stands for “license plate number.”
• Businesses place LPN barcodes on warehouse moveables like crates and pallets to track them more efficiently.
• Warehouse managers often use moveables as a means of categorizing products. 
• The workflow requires standard barcoding equipment: Barcode generator, scanner, printer, and software.  

Warehouses are a common pain point for businesses. In other words, they’re large, expensive, and require a lot of resources to maintain. At the same time, though, warehouses are a piece of critical infrastructure. They provide storage space for products and are ultimately responsible for getting orders out the door.

Consequently, an optimized warehouse means an improved customer experience, which can give one company an edge over the others. 

To improve operations, warehouse managers use many tools for inventory management, a popular one being LPN (license plate numbers) barcodes. Barcodes are an outright necessity in modern-day business and have countless use cases across various industries. An LPN barcode is one of those use cases. So: what are LPN barcodes? How can they help businesses improve warehousing processes? 

What is an LPN barcode?

Despite the name, an LPN barcode doesn’t actually have much to do with license plates. Businesses attach an LPN barcode to a larger, movable object, like a crate or pallet. They then use these barcodes to track the moveables as they travel through the warehouse. 

The barcodes themselves make use of the same technology as other barcodes. They store information by encoding it into a series of black-and-white stripes. Barcode scanners can read these patterns and translate them into human-readable data. 

In that sense, an LPN label is more of an organizational tool than anything else. It’s just a different application of already existing technology.

Why do businesses use LPN barcodes?

Warehouses are very often an organizational nightmare. The average consumer might picture neat lines or shelves of products, but that’s far from the case. Space is expensive, so businesses have a vested interest in using it as efficiently as possible. That means stacking products all the way to the ceiling, which often necessitates heavy equipment like forklifts.

All of this space and equipment, in turn, necessitates more employees, which can create a very chaotic and stressful environment. Notably, the warehouse industry sees a 49% turnover rate in the US– and 150% for Amazon. We won’t make any claims about the warehouse industry, but the chaotic work environment likely plays a role. 

From the perspective of a business, a chaotic work environment is a liability. It might sound ridiculous, but misplacing a pallet or crate in a building as large as a warehouse is easy. That’s why they use LPN barcodes. Unlike typical barcodes, which are tied to individual products, an LPN barcode identifies a “container.” These containers may contain multiple items with various SKUs and are an excellent way for businesses to help organize their warehouses. 

Amazon LPN barcodes

The most notable company to use LPN barcodes is Amazon. In fact, it’s to the point that their almost synonymous with the company. Many people call them an Amazon LPN label, or an Amazon LPN barcode. And that’s true– Amazon does make regular use of an LPN barcode system. However, it’s a little bit different. 

Up above, we illustrated just how chaotic the warehouse environment can be. Amazon is the single largest online retailer in the world (and the second largest retailer, period), and their warehouses are much larger and more chaotic.

This means the amount of product traffic is higher than average– both in and out. In 2021, the National Retail Federation estimated that 21% of all online merchandise during the holiday season was returned. That’s a lot of returns. 

One of the ways Amazon uses LPN barcodes is by separating returns as they arrive. This sections off returns from shipments and provides a physical way of tracking returns. Amazon operates on such a large scale that mistakes are commonplace. Their use of an LPN barcode system helps reduce mistakes and increase visibility.

What does a business need to implement LPN barcodes?

There are four necessary components to any barcode system. An LPN barcode system is no exception. Your business will need the following: a barcode generator/designer, a printer, a scanner, and barcode software. 

The barcode generator creates barcodes, the printer… prints them, the scanner reads them, and the software ties them all together. If one of these components is missing, things fall apart. It’s important to remember that barcodes are a simple but powerful business tool. Whoever uses them dictates their usefulness, but the key requirements don’t change. 

LPN barcodes best practices

If you, as a business owner, are looking to implement LPN barcoding, here are some best practices to consider beforehand. 

Make LPN labels accessible  

As with any barcode, it’s important to place it somewhere employees can easily access it. While that’s the most important requirement, it’s also far from the only one. It needs to be easy to find, hidden from the elements, and ideally does not require external tools (like a flashlight) to read.

Make LPN barcodes obvious

At the end of the day, businesses use LPN barcodes to separate equipment or products. Meanwhile, some even use LPN barcodes as a way of marking products that are close to expiring. Many businesses do this by directly marking the physical barcode with “LPN.”

Tune the system to your work, not the other way around

The usefulness of barcodes depends on the implementation. LPN barcodes are meant to streamline warehousing processes. It’s important to tune the system to your work instead of changing a business to suit the system. The system itself is malleable– with a little creativity, a solution will arise.

Create a sorting method

Like any inventory management technique, LPN barcodes are only as useful as you make them. With that in mind, settle on a sorting method that makes sense for your business. For instance, you could use an LPN label to store products that sell well together, or you could use them to store products deemed deadstock. The choice is yours. 

Final thoughts

An LPN barcode is really just a barcode at the end of the day, and it does what they all do. It stores information. In this instance, though, businesses often use them to separate a certain class of product or equipment. Using them can streamline warehouse processes or open the door to new organizational methods.

The post A Step-by-Step Guide for Implementing LPN Barcodes appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

• An Amazon FNSKU barcode is an Amazon-exclusive barcode that they use for fulfillment by Amazon.
• Merchants who choose to enroll in FBA will have their products stored, sold, and shipped by Amazon. 
• However, enrolling in FBA requires using an Amazon FNSKU barcode for products.
• The merchant can create, print, and place the FNSKU barcode on their products themselves, or alternatively, Amazon will do so for a fee ($0.55 per unit). 
• ASIN and FNSKU are not the same thing. An ASIN is product-specific. The FNSKU is merchant-specific.

If you own, operate, or manage an online retail store, there’s a good chance your products are on Amazon. Even if they aren’t exclusive to the ecommerce titan, there’s a good chance they’re on it. That probably means you’ve heard about the FNSKU code Amazon uses. 

An FNSKU code used by Amazon serves a function similar to a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). FNSKU, in this case, stands for fulfillment network stock-keeping unit, and it plays a significant role in Amazon’s fulfillment process, specifically for merchants using FBA.  

So, what does an Amazon FNSKU barcode do? Why do merchants in fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) need them? There’s a lot to go over today, so let’s get started. 

What is an FNSKU? 

An FNSKU is a barcode that’s unique to Amazon. The company assigns each product enrolled in FBA its own unique FNSKU. Amazon uses these barcodes to connect merchant products to the correct account and track inventory movement. Amazon requires all FBA-enrolled products to have a FNSKU. 

I’m sure you’ve been scrolling through Amazon and have seen a fair number of identical products with varying price points. Different merchants sell these products, and if both sellers are members of the FBA program, FNSKU barcodes will allow Amazon to ensure that they are shipping the proper inventory to the customers.

But before we go any further, let’s quickly talk about what fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) means for merchants.

What is fulfillment by Amazon? And why is it important? 

It’s important to note that just being on Amazon leads to greater visibility and, in many cases, sales. That’s not to say that putting your product(s) on Amazon guarantees success– far from it. However, it is true that Amazon is crucial to many online retailers. As of 2023, they hold a 37.6% market share in the US. That’s a lot of traffic. 

Since the company’s inception in 1996, they’ve continued to branch out into other industries. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the world’s leading cloud provider. FBA is another way for them to remain competitive. 

Merchants who enroll their products in FBA have their fulfillment completed by Amazon. That means Amazon stores, sells, and ships your product all on their own– for a fee, of course. Generally, though, that fee ends up being worth it. Amazon effectively takes on the role of a 3PL (3rd party logistics) and handles warehousing and shipping. 

Not everything is rosy, though. Merchants that don’t enroll in FBA perform fulfillment by merchant (FBM), meaning they sell and ship independently. In 2023, FBM merchants faced increased fees, which drew the FTC’s attention. Essentially, merchants felt penalized for not using the FBA program. While there are benefits to enrolling in FBA, make no mistake: it’s one way that Amazon manipulates the market.

How do merchants obtain an Amazon FNSKU barcode? 

Now that you know what an FNSKU is and the role it plays, there’s another important question. Is FBA an attractive option to you? And if so, how do you get FNSKUs for your products?  

There are a few different ways. Generally, though, once a merchant enrolls a product in FBA, Amazon assigns that product a FNSKU. Once it exists, there are a few ways to get it onto the product. 

The first would be to attach the FNSKU barcodes yourself. The FNSKU codes Amazon provides for eligible products are easy enough to print, provided you have the proper barcode label printer. Once a product receives its Amazon FNSKU barcode, it’ll appear in your Seller Central under the “Manage Inventory” option. 

From there, find the FNSKU in question and right-click. This should show an “Edit” option with a drop-down menu. Open it and select “Print item labels.” A file should download; this is your FNSKU. Now you can print it and place it on your products.

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle, you can opt for the second option: to pay Amazon to place the FNSKU label on product lineups instead. There is a per-unit fee of $0.55, however. So, for 100 units, a merchant pays $55. For 1,000 units, it’s $550. These fees may seem small initially, but depending on your business model, the costs add up quickly. 

Mistakes to avoid

At the end of the day, Amazon FNSKU barcodes aren’t much different from “normal” barcodes. Just think of them as propriety barcodes that Amazon uses for a very specific reason– to keep identical seller products separate. Merchants that don’t research ahead of time are likely to make mistakes. Here are some common ones to avoid. 

Lack of knowledge 

A common issue among new FBA sellers is not understanding the system. On the face of it, FBA seems like a really great thing. And it can be– but there are rules that merchants need to follow. Failing to research ahead of time could lead to consequences down the line. 

Bundling FNSKUs 

Selling products as part of a bundle is common on Amazon. However, merchants must remember that if part of FBA, every individual product must have a unique FNSKU. That includes products sold as a bundle. 

Reusing FNSKU barcodes

Something interesting about FNSKUs is that they never expire or change. This also means they are non-reusable. Once they correspond to a specific seller’s product, you can’t change them. You’ll have to start over with a new Amazon FNSKU barcode.

Where should the FNSKU barcode go?

Something that often gets overlooked is where to place the barcode. It’s an overall simple task, but it can be tricky. Once placed, a barcode label is hard to remove, but finding that spot can prove challenging. 

As a good rule of thumb, place your Amazon FNSKU barcode in a place that’s easy to see and access. If possible, place barcode labels on an area of the product that you can see without moving the product around. So, for example, you might want to place it on the front of the box rather than on the bottom. Wherever you put it, ensure it’s protected and won’t be easily torn or smudged.

The Value of FNSKU Barcodes in Amazon’s Ecosystem

Amazon’s FNSKU barcodes are critical in ensuring the smooth and accurate fulfillment of orders within the vast FBA network. Using FNSKU barcodes correctly helps Amazon maintain accurate inventory levels and avoids costly errors that could disrupt your business. For more about barcodes, check out our Ultimate Barcoding Guide. By avoiding common mistakes and adhering to best practices, sellers can ensure that their products reach customers promptly and correctly, increasing customer satisfaction and business growth.

The post Everything to Know About an Amazon FNSKU Barcode appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

• Asset barcode tracking involves tracking physical assets using barcodes to minimize errors, cut costs, increase productivity, and create a digital trail of asset usage.
• Implementing a barcode asset tracking system requires three main components: inventory software, a barcode printer, and a barcode scanner.
• Asset tracking has the most benefits for companies with a lot of physical assets that are very expensive.

No matter what sort of business you run, chances are that you’ll have assets to manage. “Asset” can refer to many different things. It can be a warehouse, equipment, even employees, or something intangible like a brand name. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on how to manage and track physical assets through an asset barcode. 

Not every asset needs barcode asset tracking, however. While a barcode asset can improve productivity, implementing too many can have the opposite effect. So: what is an asset barcode? What role does it play in barcode asset tracking? And which assets should you consider slapping a barcode onto? Let’s find out. 

What classifies as an asset? 

The textbook definition of “business asset” is as follows: property that a business uses in its operations. This can encompass real estate, inventories, buildings, machinery and other equipment, patents, franchise rights, and copyrights. 

Another noteworthy business asset that we should address is intellectual property or IP. This includes things like business logos, brand names, concepts, and so on. Television shows, movies, novels, and other works of fiction are good examples of intellectual property.   

As you can see, “business asset” refers to a lot of different things. Some of those things are physical objects, while others are not. This article will focus on physical assets because, well, you can’t put a barcode on something that doesn’t physically exist.  

What is asset tracking?

As the name suggests, asset tracking refers to the practice of keeping track of assets while they’re on the move. Businesses do this for many different reasons. Some work with extremely expensive equipment, for example. Others may do so to track who has a piece of equipment and where they are. Typically, they achieve this by using an asset barcode.

Why should businesses track assets?

The biggest reason a business uses an asset barcode is to minimize errors, cut costs, and increase productivity. An asset barcode can tell you where the relevant piece of equipment is and who’s using it. This creates a digital trail that tells where valuable equipment is, and who’s currently responsible for it.

Asset tracking can also yield valuable data. The digital trail a barcode creates is useful in gauging activity across different areas, such as how often you use the asset, when it was last repaired, and what state it’s currently in. And if you run your business from multiple locations, you can more easily see the location of all of your assets at any given time. A company can use this data to allocate assets to areas that need them most.

For example, say three employees need access to a specific business asset more than other employees. Barcodes would clearly show who has been using an asset more frequently and, therefore, let you plan accordingly. 

This could be anything, but for the sake of this example, let’s say these employees work in field service and service different areas. In the same vein, let’s say that this business asset is an essential piece of equipment. 

Employees 1 and 2 need regular access to the equipment because their areas of operation require it more frequently. Employee 3 still needs access to it, but much less frequently. If a business collects data over a long enough period, it can organize a schedule that suits everyone’s needs. This is useful when working with expensive equipment, as it can eliminate the need to purchase multiple units. 

Companies can use the same data to allocate business resources and maintain a higher level of efficiency. However, achieving that can take time. 

What type of businesses should use barcode asset tracking?

For the most part, every business should use it in some capacity. This is true even for online retailers. They need warehouses to store products, and often, warehouses require all sorts of equipment, such as forklifts and pallet movers. These are usually high-value equipment that may benefit from an asset barcode. 

There are exceptions, however. There are business models that aim to reduce business assets to near zero. For example, drop shippers really only own their digital storefront. Companies that operate entirely online may also have little to no physical assets. Implementing barcode asset tracking doesn’t make much sense in these instances. 

How do you implement barcode asset tracking?

Setting up a system might seem complicated, but it’s surprisingly simple. It involves using a business tool that most already use: barcodes. When they see a barcode, most people think of a price tag, but they can do much more for your business. 

Of course, you’ll need some equipment to use asset barcodes. Chances are, though, you’ll already have most of this equipment. You’ll need a barcode printer, scanner, and the barcodes themselves. If you’re on a shoestring budget, you can use a free barcode font to create your barcodes—an office printer to print them and your cell phone to scan them.

However, good barcode software, like inFlow, simplifies using barcodes. We allow our users to create unique barcodes for their assets within a few clicks. You can design labels with our label designer and print them out right inside the app. 

Once you have all the equipment, it’s just a matter of printing barcodes and placing them on the relevant assets. Make sure they’re unique to that asset or that category of asset. It’s important not to get mixed up! From there, sync the barcodes to assets and locations with whatever inventory system you use to create a digital trail as they move through your operations. You can even take this a step further by adding employee ID tags to the system to maintain responsibility. Then, employees can scan barcodes to log equipment out and when they send it in for repair. 

Are there any downsides? 

The only real downside to asset tracking is the need to maintain another system. As far as these types of business systems go, however, barcode asset tracking is relatively easy to implement and maintain. It helps that most businesses already use a barcode system; they have most of the necessities. 

Best practices

Once you have everything: asset barcode, printer, barcode software, and so on, it’s time to start. What important things should you keep in mind once the system is up and running? 

Categorize assets

Not every asset is… er, manufactured equally? Anyways. Not every asset is of equal value: some are more expensive than others or may have a different use case. Categorizing assets according to their use makes it easier for employees to get what they need and get to work.

Store relevant information 

An asset barcode can hold a surprising amount of information, but sometimes, too much information can make things more complicated than they need to be. Ensure you’re clear and concise and store information relevant to the asset. This is often something relevant to its appearance or specs, such as color, shape, model, or technical performance. 

Place your asset barcodes with accessibility in mind

Barcode asset tracking involves a lot of barcodes– and a lot of scanning. This means it’s important to place barcodes where they’re easy to scan. If employees have to spend five minutes to disassemble something before scanning it, that’s a critical inefficiency. 

Conclusion

And that’s it! Now you know what a barcode asset is and how an asset barcode tracks it. Even online retailers generally rely on a physical location of some sort, and tracking assets at those locations is crucial to keeping things running. Not just so things don’t go missing but also to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.

The post How Asset Barcode Tracking Can Protect Your Small Business appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

Ultimately, barcodes are just a form of technology—and technology is fallible. A blurry barcode probably won’t make or break your business, but it can certainly cause a lot of wasted time. And time is money, as they say.  

For today’s article, we’re going to help you get the most out of your barcodes. We’ll cover common causes for blurred barcodes, how to resolve those causes, and some best practices to avoid them in the future. We’ll also touch on QR codes; how they differ, how they’re similar, and how a blurry QR code might vary from a traditional 1D barcode.

Why is it important to avoid a blurry barcode?

A single blurry barcode probably won’t cause any real problems. However, something caused that blurry barcode, and if you don’t resolve the issue, you’re bound to encounter more. A blurred barcode will stop you in your tracks, wasting valuable time, which is the antithesis of what barcodes are intended for. 

A full-fledged barcode system aims to improve four main business areas: efficiency, error reduction, data collection, and tracking. To do this, each element of the system must be fully functional. Even the best barcode scanner on the market won’t be able to scan a blurry barcode. 

The basics of how to use barcodes

Barcodes look like black-and-white stripes to us, but to a computer with the correct database, they’re full of information. Generally speaking, every barcode system has three parts: hardware, software, and barcode labels.

Hardware typically refers to a barcode scanner and barcode printers. Software usually refers to the program that reads barcodes and matches it to something in its database. Barcode labels, of course, refer to the barcode itself. Do note that barcodes come in many different shapes and sizes. While they fall into various subcategories, a traditional 1D barcode and a QR code are both barcodes and serve similar purposes.

Similarly, there are three basic steps to using barcodes: designing, printing, and scanning. If you’re just starting out, there’s two main ways to obtain barcodes. You can create business-exclusive ones with an online generator or a barcode font. You can also make them with barcode software like inFlow. If you need barcodes that are not for your business alone, you can purchase them from our Official GTIN Barcode Shop. You can buy up to ten barcodes for only $30 each with no renewal fee. However, if you need more than ten barcodes, you’re better off getting a company prefix directly through GS1.

Once you’ve got your barcode(s) and linked them to the relevant product(s), all you have to do is print them out. Then, place them on your product and use a barcode scanner to read them.

Keep in mind that this is just an extremely basic overview. For a more in-depth read, we recommend checking out our ultimate barcoding guide. It covers everything there is to know about barcodes. 

Common causes of blurry barcodes

A barcode is a rather unique tool. It’s a mainly digital system that relies on some analog elements to function. That opens it up to a myriad of problems. And a blurry barcode or a blurry QR code isn’t the only reason for a read error, either. There could be other factors preventing the barcode scanner from reading it correctly. Here are some of the most common causes of blurred barcodes:

Insufficient size

Barcodes work in very small units of measurement. Modern handheld scanners are pretty good at adjusting for size and orientation, but sometimes, barcodes are just too small. A scanner reads a barcode by measuring the thickness of the black lines and the space between them. Therefore, the smaller they get, the more likely the lines will bleed into one another. 

Faulty printers

If you find one blurred barcode, you can probably pass it off as a one-off. If you find a whole batch at once, though, it probably comes from the same source. In this case, the printer. It could have a bad ink cartridge, poor placement, or just be flat-out broken. Whatever the case, until you fix it, it’ll keep producing blurry barcodes.

Out-of-focus cameras or faulty scanners

Because reading requires an accurate image, the camera must be able to focus properly. This isn’t a problem for most scanners, but it’s becoming increasingly common to use cell phones as scanners. While it’s usually fine, some models may simply be inept as scanners. There is also the possibility that the scanner you’re using is faulty. To test your scanner, try printing out barcode labels with a larger-size barcode and see if it still causes problems. If so, chances are the culprit is your device, not a blurry barcode. 

Environment

While not really part of the barcode system, environmental factors also play a role in readability. Poor lighting conditions can lead to a lack of contrast, which is really important when dealing with black and white. Other factors, such as excessive humidity, could cause ink to spread or smudge. Moving warehouses would be overkill, but making rearrangements could fix things. Though it’s never really first on the list, it’s often worth checking.

Can you avoid a blurred barcode?

Of course, you can try to avoid the blurry barcode dilemma altogether. Sometimes, prevention is best. To be clear, though, you’ll still get the occasional error. Nothing is perfect, after all. You can minimize the number of errors and their effect, though. Here are some steps you should consider taking to avoid blurred barcodes and misreads.

Use appropriate gear

We mentioned above that some smartphone cameras just won’t cut it as scanners, and that’s true. The same logic applies to other areas of the system. It might be tempting to use a standard printer, but specialized printers exist for a reason. The chances an inkjet printer will produce blurry barcodes are much higher than if you purchase a barcode label printer.

This also extends to the barcodes themselves. Though they look similar, there’s a few different types. Some are easier to read than others. For example, a QR code holds more data than a standard barcode, and unlike standard barcodes, you can scan it from any direction. A blurry QR code is also more likely to scan successfully than a 1D barcode.  

Avoid blurry barcodes with thoughtful label design

How you design your barcode labels will play a massive role in whether or not you end up with a blurry barcode. Generally, this will depend on the size of the barcode on the label. As we mentioned above, you’re more likely to end up with a blurry barcode the smaller they are. InFlow users can use our built-in label designer, which will help them choose appropriate dimensions. Our label designer gives you the flexibility to design your barcode labels however you like. You can even add images, logos, and more. 

Place barcodes smartly

It might take some thought, but be sure to place your barcodes in a location that makes sense. Ideally, it should be accessible, relatively safe from damage, and easily illuminated. Placing them in an awkward location could make them difficult or even impossible to read with a scanner, regardless of whether you’re dealing with a blurred barcode or not.

Perform regular maintenance

A barcode system is a tool, and tools need maintenance. That can mean a few different things, such as checking printers and scanners regularly, updating software regularly, and so on. Ensuring barcodes are clear and intact on individual units is painstaking but also necessary.

Wrapping up

While barcodes are an excellent tool for any business, retail or otherwise, they’re still prone to occasional failure. A blurry barcode might not seem urgent, but that small failure can cascade into something that affects the whole business. It’s best to address them quickly and take steps to prevent issues beforehand.

The post How To Eliminate Blurry Barcodes in Your Small Business appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

So, if you’re interested in implementing barcodes in your business and wondering what the best barcode scanner is for your needs, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll be focusing on barcode scanners. How they work, the different types, and which is the best barcode scanner for you and your workflow.

What is a barcode scanner? 

Even if you’ve never used barcodes professionally, you’ve almost certainly seen them in action. They’re practically omnipresent among retailers and make it easy for us to calculate our purchases through the checkout. But barcodes are used by more than just the stores we shop in. The reality is that barcodes are a big part of every aspect of our supply chain.

Barcodes look like black-and-white stripes to the human eye, but the length, spacing, and number of stripes hold tons of information. They can store price, SKU, color, and so on. Despite holding all that information, it’s impossible for humans to read it, which is why businesses use barcode scanners.

The purpose of a barcode scanner is to read a barcode and interpret it into a code. The computer would then match that code to an entry in an existing database. The speed at which a barcode scanner can do this depends on your scanner type. So, let’s talk a bit about the different types of scanners and how they work.    

How does a barcode scanner work? 

When a barcode scanner is activated, it shines a laser onto the barcode. The barcode reflects the light from that laser in a specific pattern. The barcode scanner decodes that pattern into raw data and then matches that data to a database entry. Of course, not all barcode scanners use lasers to achieve this; some use different methods– more on that later. 

Types of barcode scanners 

Barcode scanners come in all shapes and sizes. But when all is said and done, they belong to one of two categories: mobile or stationary. As their names suggest, a mobile barcode scanner is generally a small, handheld device and stationary barcode scanners are usually large, immobile fixtures. 

Within these two categories, though, there are a handful of different archetypes. Here are the important ones. Each has pros and cons, so weigh them carefully if you’re trying to decide which to use. 

Pen scanners

A pen barcode scanner works like a small flashlight. You simply guide the light from the tip of the pen scanner across a barcode at a uniform speed. The pen scanner would then measure the light bouncing back to understand the code. Due to their speed, these barcode scanners are less standard than other types. 

Laser scanners

Arguably, the most popular barcode scanners are laser scanners because of their speed and reliability. They come in various offerings depending on your needs. 

• USB laser scanners use the universal serial bus (USB) standard to connect to a host device. They typically have no processing unit of their own and are completely reliant on the host device to function. However, they’re often cheaper than smart scanners, making them ideal for widespread use. USB scanners can come either wired or wireless with the use of a USB dongle. 
• Bluetooth scanners use the Bluetooth standard to connect to other devices wirelessly. Unlike USB scanners, these typically come with their own processor and memory. Once they establish a connection, the information the scanner reads is immediately transferred to the connected computer.
• Smart scanners are an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-in-one solution. While the above scanners rely on a computer, smart scanners have barcoding software loaded right onto the scanner. These are our preferred scanners because of their ease of use and price point. We even developed our own inFlow Smart Scanner!  

Charge-couple device (CCD) scanners

This type of scanner, also known as an LED scanner, uses technology different from laser or pen scanners. CCD readers measure ambient light emitted from a barcode, whereas pen or laser scanners measure reflected light of a specific frequency originating from the scanner. While efficient, these barcode scanners only have a short range and can only read barcodes within a certain width. 

Smartphone scanner

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular in the software space. In the inventory space specifically, developers are taking advantage of this by adding barcode scanner functionality to their apps. Rather than purchasing individual scanners, the app turns any phone with a camera into a handheld barcode scanner. While more error-prone, this also comes at little to no extra cost. 

Image scanners

This last type of barcode scanner captures an actual image of the barcode. It then matches that image to the appropriate database entry. While these can read barcodes from greater distances, one major flaw is their reliance on proper lighting. No light, no picture. 

What’s the best barcode scanner for your business? 

When it comes down to it, different situations will require different solutions. For this reason, to determine the best barcode scanner, consider when and where you will use it.

Generally speaking, businesses use barcode scanners for two key functions: recording point-of-sale (POS) data and managing inventory. POS data refers to customer purchases at checkout, and inventory management generally means warehouse or storage room movement. 

They’re similar in purpose, but the environments are different enough that they require different tools. An employee working the register will care much more about speed and accuracy, while one in the warehouse will want mobility above all else. However, don’t feel you need to choose just one type of scanner. Depending on the use case, many businesses will implement different types of barcode scanners. 

For example, a retailer could purchase a wired USB scanner that connects to a POS for employees who work at the checkout. In contrast, employees who work in the stock room could be equipped with a smart scanner, which will give them the mobility necessary to do their jobs.  

What else do I need other than barcode scanners?

As we said above, a barcode scanner is just one part of a system. Naturally, that means you’ll need the other parts in order to reap the rewards. You’ll need three additional components to create a fully functioning barcode system.  

Barcodes

First, you’ll need actual barcodes (duh). These store information relevant to the products in a machine-readable format. Naturally, they serve as the foundation for the system. You can generate your own barcodes using an online generator, barcoding software, or a barcode font. However, if you want your barcodes to be recognized globally, you must purchase them from GS1. 

We know the value GS1 barcodes add, so we partnered with GS1 to create an official inFlow GTIN Barcode Shop. We take zero commission on the sale of these barcodes, which means you’ll pay the same price on our shop as you would on the GS1 website. What’s not to love?  

Barcode label printer

The second thing you’ll need when creating a barcode system is a barcode label printer. Like scanners, these come in various shapes and sizes, so be sure to research which is suitable for your needs. While you could manage using a laser jet office printer, we wouldn’t recommend it for high-volume situations. A dedicated barcode label printer comes with an upfront investment, but its speed and reliability will outweigh the cost.

Barcode software

Lastly, any barcoding system hinges on proper barcode software. This software is the database for all the information your barcodes will point to when scanned. Without software, it’s challenging to use barcodes in any meaningful way.

At inFlow, we know how integral barcodes can be to inventory management, which is why we built a robust barcode system into our software. Our software lets you easily use barcodes to pick, pack, and ship orders, adjust stock, and look up product descriptions. We even recently released an existing label designer feature that allows you to generate barcodes and create custom product labels. So, if you’re looking for the perfect software to round out your barcoding system, consider giving inFlow a try!

The post What Is the Best Barcode Scanner for Small Businesses? appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

Many of these barcodes have overlapping uses, but for the most part, each one fulfills a different purpose. So, how many different barcode types are there? How do they differ from one another? Should your business be using a specific type of barcode? We’ll be answering these questions today, along with a few others. 

Different types of barcodes

The different types of barcodes fall into two main categories. One-dimensional (1D, also known as linear) or two-dimensional (2D). To us, they don’t look much different. They’re all just seemingly random collections of stripes, dots, squares, and potentially other symbols. But to computers, there’s a big difference. 

1D barcodes

Most people probably think of these types of barcodes when they hear the term “barcode.” These vertical black and white stripes are present on almost every retail product out there. We call these 1D barcodes because they only read horizontally. This type of barcode can store up to 85 characters. Here are some of the most common 1D barcodes.

UPC 

UPC stands for Universal Product Code. Retailers around the world use these to track sales and shipping. While they are used worldwide, they’re more common in the United States. There are two variants of this type of barcode. The UPC-A variant of these types of barcodes can hold up to 12 alphanumeric characters. The UPC-E only holds 6 characters. UPCs can be purchased from GS1 and will be recognized globally. 

EAN 

For the most part, EANs are similar to UPCs. Businesses around the world use them on their products, much like UPCs. What sets them apart is location. While US-based companies usually use UPCs, Europe-based businesses make up the bulk of EAN users. Like UPCs, EANs also have two variations: EAN-13, which holds 13 digits, and EAN-8, which holds 8. Just like UPCs, you can purchase these barcodes from GS1. 

Code 39 

This type of barcode is advantageous since it contains both numbers and letters. The automotive industry and certain government facilities– like the US Department of Defense, use the Code-39 barcode. The name “Code-39” comes from the fact that, initially, it could only hold 39 characters. However, recent versions can store up to 43. The one caveat to remember with code 39 barcodes is that they are only useful within an organization. 

Code 128 

The shipping and logistics industry commonly use code-128 barcodes. These barcodes can store up to 128 characters from the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character set. The most significant advantage of these types of barcodes is their large data density, which makes them much more versatile than code 39. However, much like code 39, these types of barcodes are only useful within your company. 

2D barcodes

Even if you’ve never heard of a 2D barcode, chances are you probably use them often. QR (quick response) codes, for example, are a type of 2D barcode. 2D barcodes use more than just stripes to store data. They use a combination of stripes, squares, hexagons, and other symbols to store data. We call these 2D barcodes because they store information both horizontally and vertically. They also require a 2D imager to read. That sounds scary (and expensive), but it’s actually very accessible– most modern phones these days include a 2D imager. 2D barcodes can hold up to 7,089 characters. Here are some of the most commonly used 2D barcodes. 

QR Code 

The QR code is the most commonly used 2D barcode. This is because they’re open domain– free for anyone to create and use. Businesses can use them for all sorts of reasons. Marketing teams, for example, put them on flyers, billboards, video ads, and even magazines. They have a high tolerance to error, which makes them popular, but a laser cannot read them. 

Data Matrix 

Data matrixes look similar to QR codes but are generally smaller in size. Their tiny size makes them ideal for placement on small products, and the logistics industry often utilizes them. Their design makes them machine-legible in low resolution, making them ideal for hard-to-scan positions. 

Aztec

Airlines commonly used Aztec barcodes for boarding passes. Unlike other barcodes, these don’t require a blank space around them. They can also hold massive amounts of data and have better information correction than other 2D barcodes. 

Which type of barcode should your business be using? 

Some industries have standardized the use of a specific type of barcode. There can be a few reasons for this. Some niche products only have room for a particular type of barcode, and others may need to be read under poor conditions. Whatever the industry, be sure to research the standard practices beforehand. 

Another huge factor affecting which type of barcode you should use is whether or not you need an outside organization to recognize them. We mentioned this briefly above, but you can purchase UPCs and EANs from GS1, a non-profit organization responsible for standardizing many processes worldwide. We even partnered with GS1 to make it easier for our customers to purchase these barcodes from our inFlow GTIN Barcode Shop commission-free. This means you pay the same whether you buy them from us or directly from GS1.   

When implementing barcodes, remember that they store information, not just product information. You can use them in many different ways with a bit of creativity. For example, you can place larger barcodes on shelves and store information for every product present. Companies needing asset tracking can put them on equipment to keep track of them while they’re on the move. The possibilities are endless. 

What do you need to start using barcodes? 

If you want to implement barcodes into your business, you’ll need four things.

• Barcodes – This one is pretty obvious, but it’s worth mentioning that how you get your barcodes may vary depending on the type of barcode you’re using. If you need UPCs or EANs, you will need to purchase those. You can create code 39 or 128 simply using a barcode font or generator. The choice is yours.
• Printer – Once you have your barcodes, you’ll need to print them. Any printer will do for this, but we recommend a label printer if your budget allows.
• Scanner – Now that you have labeled your inventory and assets with your barcodes, you’ll need a way to scan them. Luckily, a modern smartphone can do the trick if you’re short on cash. But if you’re doing a lot of scanning, you should consider getting a dedicated laser scanner. These come in many shapes, sizes, and price points, so it’s best to research to ensure you get the best one for your needs. We may be biased, but we always recommend our inFlow Smart scanner. 
• Barcode Software – This one is often overlooked when people think of barcodes because most people think the information barcodes hold is in the barcodes themselves. In reality, without a database that stores the information, barcodes are just a collection of numbers and characters.

So, if barcodes are something that can help your inventory management, consider giving inFlow a try. We made our software with barcodes top of mind. You can generate 1D and 2D barcodes, design labels, print them, and scan them all right inside inFlow!

The post How Different Types of Barcodes Are Used by Businesses appeared first on inFlow Inventory.

So, what’s the difference between SKU vs UPC? Are the two interchangeable? Do you always need a UPC? What about a SKU? Today, we’ll review all the differences between UPC vs SKU and what each one means for your business. 

SKU vs UPC: What do these acronyms mean?

SKUs and UPCs both serve a similar purpose. They’re both unique codes that represent a product in a database. Businesses can use one or both to keep track of their inventory.

The important distinction between SKU vs UPC is how widely applicable they are. As a general rule of thumb, a SKU is for internal use, while a UPC is for external use. You can also think of a SKU as a closed system, while a UPC is an open system. 

This may sound vague and confusing, so here’s an individual description of each. 

SKU meaning 

As we’ve already established, SKU stands for stock-keeping unit. When a business receives something new in its inventory, it will create a unique identifier for that item. This is known as the SKU number. If the business uses an inventory management system, like our software inFlow, for example, they could connect that SKU to all kinds of information like product description, cost, where it’s stored, and more. 

To help illustrate, let’s use different milk products from a typical grocery store as an example. Let’s say that this grocery store sells both 1% and 2% milk. Let’s also say that this store sells each in two different sizes: one liter and two liters. 

The SKU for a one-liter carton of 1% might look like this: MLK11

MLK represents “milk,” “1” represents the 1%, and the second “1” represents the carton size. That means that the two-liter carton of 1% milk might look like this: MLK12

And, you guessed it, the one-liter carton of 2% milk will look like this: MLK21

Seems simple, right? You can see all the relevant information at a glance as long as you know what to look for. Giving similar products similar SKUs also helps keep track of things in general. It also helps that directly converting SKUs into barcodes is a simple process.

Remember, though, that we’re keeping these examples simple on purpose. Larger, more complex products will likely have longer, more complex SKUs to match and may contain identifiers for color, size, etc. Despite that, retaining product identifiers and ensuring that the SKUs make sense is still important.

UPC meaning

The standard barcode on any product in retail brick-and-mortar stores in North America is a universal product code (UPC). A UPC is a type of barcode symbology used to represent a 12-digit machine-readable numeric code. This is the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), and it is unique to that specific product.

They serve a similar function, but as the name suggests, they’re meant to be recognized more universally. Unlike a SKU, you can’t just create a UPC; you’ll need to purchase them from Global Standards (GS1) or authorized partners like inFlow.

Once GS1 assigns a UPC to a product, that UPC remains constant throughout the product’s lifespan so long as renewal fees are up to date. However, you can avoid these renewal fees if you buy single GTINs. There’s more to the UPC economy, but we’ll get into that later.

SKU vs UPC: Does your business need both?

Not necessarily, but many businesses do. There’s a few reasons why. 

It may be tempting to generate barcodes based on your product’s SKUs. While this is very convenient and would work fine for your internal inventory management, these barcodes would be meaningless to other organizations. So, the bottom line is you’ll need to purchase UPCs if you’re using your barcodes externally.

In this case, you would need a UPC and SKU for your products. But for simplicity, you may want to create your SKU based on the product’s UPC (or, more specifically, its GTIN).  

On the other hand, only some businesses need their barcodes recognized externally. And only some companies even use barcodes in the first place. If that’s the case, then having a UPC isn’t necessary. If you’re setting up a barcode system for internal inventory management, you can assign your products a SKU and generate a barcode based on that. 

Why are GS1 UPCs so important?

GS1 is a non-profit organization that creates all types of logistical standards worldwide. Their work to keep everything standardized is essential; otherwise, international business would be a nightmare. A sole provider for UPCs allows things to run smoothly as products flow through global supply chains. 

GS1 also gives product owners peace of mind. Owners can track their products more effectively, and having a UPC protects their product’s authenticity. 

You can purchase official GS1 barcodes from our inFlow GTIN Barcode Shop for only $30 each with no renewal fee. However, if you need more than ten barcodes we would recommend purchasing a company prefix from GS1.

How do businesses keep track of things? 

Knowing the difference between SKU vs UPC also raises more questions. For example, as we said, most businesses use both SKUs and UPCs. How do they keep track of that? Especially retail giants like Walmart?

Unfortunately, the sheer amount of data and product movement means that tracking it manually isn’t just impractical– it’s sometimes impossible. We humans are good at many things– understanding nuance, expressing creativity, and so on. But when it comes to processing data, we’re much slower than computers. 

And that’s why we are seeing more and more businesses turn to our software inFlow to handle more of their daily operations. We’ve been working on inFlow for over a decade and have been refining it to be the perfect tool to help manage your inventory and assets.

With inFlow, you can track sales, set reorder points for your products, and monitor all your inventory levels in real-time. And that’s just some of the basics. What we’re most proud of with inFlow is the barcoding system we built into the software. You can generate traditional 2D barcodes or QR codes and design labels for your products. You can also print and scan the barcodes right inside inFlow. 

And when it comes to SKU vs UPC, it’s perfectly capable of handling both simultaneously.

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