Are you still wrestling with manual processes and spreadsheets for your inventory management processes?
Imagine a world where you can accurately track every item in your store with a simple scan, update stock levels in real time, and streamline order fulfillment — all from the palm of your hand. That's the power of a mobile barcode scanner.
With this tool, you can say goodbye to the headaches of inaccurate data, time-consuming manual tasks, and lost sales due to stockouts.
But how can you find the best mobile barcode scanner for your store?
This post walks through the four top choices for mobile barcode scanners for inventory management. For each, we’ll discuss features, integrations, and pricing.
Advantages of a Mobile Barcode Scanner for Inventory Management
A mobile barcode scanner is a game-changer for inventory management in your grocery store. This handheld device allows you to instantly scan and capture product information, automating manual data entry and creating fewer errors. Integrating a mobile barcode scanner into your inventory management processes changes how you track, order, and manage your stock.
Some key benefits of using a mobile barcode scanner include:
- Increased accuracy: A mobile barcode scanner helps avoid manual data entry mistakes. This means you capture and validate information accurately and instantly to prevent discrepancies in your inventory, reduce loss, and keep precise stock records.
- Enhanced efficiency: Using a mobile barcode scanner is faster than manual methods. It makes it easier to count, order, and receive inventory. You can do these tasks on the go using a mobile device, which saves time and improves inventory management efficiency.
- Real-time inventory visibility: When you use a mobile barcode scanner to check a product, the inventory records are immediately updated. This way, you can get accurate and up-to-date information about your stock. You can use this real-time data to make informed decisions based on the latest status of your inventory.
- Seamless integration: Mobile barcode scanners work with existing inventory management systems, allowing automatic data synchronization between the scanner and the software. This integration removes data silos and inconsistencies, making sure that you can access all inventory information easily from one place.
- Cost and time savings: Mobile barcode scanners can save money on inventory management and reduce the time spent on data entry and reconciliation. By simplifying procedures and decreasing errors, you can fill orders faster and avoid running out of stock, leading to long-term cost savings and increased efficiency.
Now that you know some of their advantages, let's explore some top options for mobile barcode scanners that can help manage inventory in your grocery store. These scanners each come with different features, integrations, and pricing options. Looking at the differences will help you choose the best option for your store.
1. IT Retail: Zebra Mobile Inventory Device
The Zebra Mobile Inventory Device from IT Retail is a rugged, user-friendly solution featuring an Android-based system. It offers real-time barcode capture, stock updates, and a long Wi-Fi range for seamless connectivity throughout your store.
The device integrates seamlessly with IT Retail's other inventory management tools, including quick product edits, purchase order generation, flexible receiving options, inventory counting solutions, and back-office inventory management and reporting analytics. IT Retail also provides low-stock reports to help you make informed reordering decisions for your store.
Check out the build and price tool to create a custom quote for your perfect IT Retail solution, including the Zebra Mobile Inventory Device.
2. Scanner by Lightspeed
The Scanner by Lightspeed is an inventory management tool that turns any iOS or Android device into a barcode scanner. It offers stock lookup, order fulfillment, inventory counts, purchase order creation, and stock transfers between locations.
It also integrates with the Lightspeed Retail X-Series POS system. It has user-level permissions so you can set specific access for your team and improve inventory accuracy across your stores and warehouses.
You can download Scanner for free from the Apple and Google Play Stores.
However, while all Scanner features are available for Lightspeed Retail (X-Series) customers, there’s an additional fee for all other users.
3. KORONA POS Ticket Scanner
The KORONA POS Ticket Scanner is a reliable and efficient tool that streamlines the ticketing admissions process. Its speedy and accurate scanning capabilities enable both handheld and mounted scanning, making it versatile for various setups.
The scanner also offers real-time inventory counts and updates, making sure you always have an accurate view of your stock levels.
For pricing information, contact KORONA directly for a tailored quote based on your mobile barcode scanner needs.
4. Samsung SCANDIT
The Samsung SCANDIT is a scanning solution that can scan multiple barcodes and types of barcodes at once. The scanner also offers smart features like batch scanning and AR overlays to optimize scanning processes.
Samsung has flexible integration options for the SCANDIT scanner, including pre-built components, no-code apps, and fully flexible APIs. This scanner cannot integrate with a full POS solution from Samsung, limiting your options if your needs evolve down the road.
Contact Samsung directly for pricing information on the Samsung SCANDIT scanner.
Getting the Most From Your Mobile Barcode Scanner
These four options are all strong tools for mobile barcode scanners that might be able to meet your inventory management needs.
However, to optimize your processes, you need a barcode scanner that automatically integrates with your point of sale system and meets your unique needs as an independent grocery retailer.
IT Retail offers all the tools and features in a single point of sale and inventory management suite. Our solutions let you seamlessly integrate your mobile barcode scanner with your POS system, enabling real-time inventory updates, streamlined order fulfillment, and accurate stock tracking to manage your inventory effectively, reduce shrinkage, and improve overall efficiency.
Don't settle for a standalone barcode scanner or a generic POS system. Schedule a demo of IT Retail today to optimize your inventory management processes and grow your business.
