Stock counts that do not match, the wrong item shipped, a delivery that took an hour to find: these are problems of typing and memory, and barcodes remove most of them. Scanning does not require a large warehouse system. A shop with one till or a trading company with a store room can start in a week. This guide explains the choices in the order you will meet them.
Step 1: Decide what you will scan
- Items: every product or part has a unique code, so receiving, picking and counting use the same reference.
- Locations: shelf, rack or bin labels, so staff scan where an item goes and where it came from.
- Documents: purchase orders, delivery notes and pick lists with a code so the right record opens instantly.
- Batches and expiry dates, where relevant for food, cosmetics or medicines.
Step 2: Choose your item codes
If your products already carry manufacturer barcodes, use them and store them against your own item code. If you make or repackage goods, create internal codes that are short, unique and never reused. Avoid codes that contain meaning staff will be tempted to edit. Keep a rule for variants: one code per colour and size, not one code for the whole family.
Step 3: Labels and printing
| Need | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Shelf and bin labels | Durable stock with a protective finish, large enough to scan from a metre away |
| Product labels | Small thermal labels printed on demand when goods arrive |
| Pallet or carton labels | Larger labels with a readable number as well as the code |
| Cold, damp or dusty areas | Test the label material first; poor labels cause most scanning failures |
Always print the number under the barcode so a damaged code can still be typed.
Step 4: Choose scanners
- USB scanners suit a till or desk.
- Wireless scanners suit receiving areas and small stores.
- Mobile handheld computers or phones with a scanning app suit picking, counting and delivery proof, and run on Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Ask for a trial of two models, and let the people who will use them decide. Battery life and grip matter more than a long feature list.
Step 5: Design the daily flows
- Receiving: scan the purchase order, scan each item, enter the quantity, scan the location it goes to. Differences with the order are flagged immediately.
- Put-away and transfers: scan item and new location so stock by location is always right.
- Picking: the pick list shows the item, quantity and location, and the picker scans to confirm each line.
- Dispatch: scan the delivery note and the packed items, then record the driver or courier.
- Counting: count a few locations every day instead of closing the whole warehouse once a year.
UAE specifics
- Stock held for different entities, such as a free zone company and a mainland company, should be separated by location or owner so VAT and customs treatment stay clear.
- Goods with batch or expiry control need those fields captured at receiving, not later.
- Delivery notes and invoices should print in the languages your customers expect.
- Stock levels should feed your online shop and POS, so you do not sell what is not there. See POS software and e-commerce development.
Common mistakes
- Printing labels before cleaning the item list, so duplicates get barcodes too.
- Scanning receipts but typing issues, so half of the movements are still manual.
- No owner for locations, so bins fill with unlabelled goods.
- Skipping staff training, then blaming the scanner.
- Choosing software that cannot import your current item list.
Read our guide to inventory and warehouse management for UAE trading companies for the wider system, and see how the stock module of an ERP for trading companies uses these codes.