Nowadays, you can purchase a barcode scanner for as little as $100 to $200, depending on the product specifications. A few reasons for the price decline include a higher demand due to the introduction of tablet-based POS systems that utilize this technology, in addition to new manufacturers in the market capitalizing off of this demand. In recent years, the cost of barcode scanners has dropped significantly, so taking advantage of the benefits of UPC barcodes won’t have to break the bank. And though we don’t advocate for penalizing this employee, that one mistake could cost your business big time. Even if you have an excellent employee who, thus far, has not made a single mistake entering data, just know that most likely, an eventual mistake might occur. We are all human and make mistakes, and retail clerks are no exception. Products with UPCs and barcode scanning technology not only speed up the checkout process, but they also improve accuracy. Everybody hates waiting in line, so the quicker you can get the customer checked out, the happier they’ll be. While there are many variables to take into consideration such as speed of the cashier or duplicate items, the general answer, regardless of the variables, is that the checkout process will take considerably longer without UPCs and barcode scanners. How much time do you think the customer will stand there waiting for all the items to be rung up and ready for payment? You, as the cashier, have to manually add each item to the order. Now, imagine if that product didn’t have a barcode and your customer was purchasing 100 products, not just one. Then, the cashier scans the product’s barcode and ta-da! The product information is magically added to the customer’s order in your point of sale (POS) system and you’re ready to take payment in seconds. A customer walks into a store and places an item on the counter to purchase. Leveraging the benefits of UPC barcodes at checkoutĪs previously mentioned, the most common and recognizable use for barcodes is on retail products scanned during the checkout process. Now that we have that covered, let’s chat a bit about why you want to leverage UPC barcodes for your small business and the benefits of barcodes. It is used to ensure accuracy and “check” for errors. The check digit is exactly what it sounds like. The last number in the sequence is a check digit. The next five numbers are the item reference number and is specific to that particular item. Of these 12 digits, the first six digits are the company’s prefix and identify of the company selling the product. These numbers are assigned by the non-profit organization GS1, which develops and maintains global standards for business communication. Universal Product Code, or UPC for short, is a unique 12-digit number that is assigned to retail merchandise. While there are over a dozen types of barcodes, the most common one used in retail are UPC barcodes.īefore we go any further into the actual benefits of UPC barcodes for small business, let’s first understand what a UPC barcode is. They are practically on every item we purchase, and yet, most of us (including some small business owners) have no idea what barcodes are used for other than scanning an item at checkout. But don’t be fooled, these seemingly insignificant numbers and zebra-like designs pack a powerful punch, one that small businesses can easily reap the benefits from. UPC barcodes are often the most forgotten component of any product a retailer sells.
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