The Best Warehouse Inventory Scanners: What You Need To Know

Inventory management is a crucial component of any eCommerce business. It's important to have an accurate inventory count so you can plan for growth, stay on top of customer service expectations, and maintain profitability.  With the right warehouse scanner in place, you'll know exactly what your inventory levels are at all times. This will help keep your business running smoothly while saving time and money!  So how do you find the best warehouse scanner? Keep reading to learn more about these five options that are sure to suit your needs!

What Is Inventory Management?

Inventory management is related to the management of stocks in a warehouse.  Every process related to order processing, storage of manufactured products, sales of raw materials, and finished products comes under inventory management.  A  warehouse can be big or small based on the area and the size of the product. Inventory management keeps track of all stock movements from the manufacturing unit to the warehouse and from the warehouse to the point of sale.  Managing inventory is easy when the number of products is less.  When the inventory is more in the warehouse, then a system is required to track the movement of stocks. In such a situation, an inventory system with a barcode scanner will be beneficial. To activate warehouse inventory scanners, the warehouse should have software that automatically manages inventory. Nowadays, every product has a barcode encrypted on its package.

Why Is Barcoding Necessary?

There was a time when the data was collected and entered into the record manually.  Presently, using new techniques like barcodes, collection, and storage of data has become simpler. Barcodes are one of the tracking methods used in inventory management. A barcode system is supposed to be a collection of tools that permit electronic data transfer. Through inventory scanning, the barcode of the product is recorded into the system, and based on this record; the central computer system keeps track of all the products. Typically, warehouse inventory scanners found today are wireless and can be used on products (irrespective of storage place). Warehouse inventory scanners are used because of their efficiency in eliminating errors in data collection and speeding up work.  The accuracy of the data collected is appreciated.

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Handheld Inventory Scanner

Handheld inventory scanners or RF scanners handheld barcode scanners/ readers play an essential role in managing a warehouse inventory system. A handheld inventory scanner is wireless and reads the barcodes, labels like QR codes, RFID tags, etc. The connection points at the warehouse are connected with these scanners through radio frequency waves. 

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Uses Of Handheld Inventory Scanner

The instrument can be used in the following situations:

At the time of goods receipt:  Whenever goods are received from the manufacturing point, they have to be scanned and checked thoroughly.  After that, the handheld inventor scanner, i.e., the inventory scanner gun, is pointed on the barcode of the goods received and inspected.  The relevant data is to be captured and stored in the inventory management system of the warehouse that is controlled by a central computer system.

Management of storage location:  As soon as the goods received is entered into the system; the system automatically suggests the vacant place in the warehouse to store the products in that place.

Picking of the product:  As soon as the order is received, the worker can start picking the product from the warehouse and scan the product's barcode.  Once this is done, the inventory data is automatically updated. This further helps in passing the message to the dispatch section, and hence the process involved in dispatch starts, and this way, the time delay in product dispatch can be avoided.

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Requirements Of A Good Warehouse Inventory Scanner

Are you planning to install a barcode system in your warehouse and are confused regarding a good warehouse inventory scanner, then here are some tips that may help choose a good warehouse inventory scanner.

1. Budget

‍A warehouse inventory scanner is demanded as it is very beneficial.  But before purchasing any such instrument, the budget has to be taken care of. The warehouse manager should analyze the situation, the requirement of the product, and the financial position of the warehouse. The cost of a barcode scanner depends on the benefits it provides. So, a warehouse inventory scanner that meets the requirement and is very much within the budget limits should be chosen.

2. Purpose

‍ A barcode scanner becomes a warehouse inventory scanner when it is used to scan the barcodes of all the inventory present in the warehouse.  If the inventory scanner cannot capture any details of the product, it may not be of any use to the staff working at the warehouse.  So, when a decision is taken to purchase a barcode scanner, the concerned person should thoroughly check whether the instrument is working perfectly or not.

3. Easy installation‍

Irrespective of warehouse size, every warehouse has its own needs.  So, based on the markets, it has to apply the inventory management system. The same applies even in the case of a warehouse inventory scanner installation. A warehouse inventory scanner is installed to minimize the time taken on data collection and storage.  So, the warehouse inventory scanner should be in such a way that it can be easily installed. The step-by-step instructions should be mentioned in the brochure given along with the barcode scanner.  However, after installation is done for the first time, the concerned engineer is supposed to come and give a proper demo regarding the product.

Which Are The Best Wireless Barcode Scanner Available In The Market?

The moment any concept is popular, one can experience several products related to the original product. So, the concerned person purchasing the product should be very cautious regarding this matter.  However, some of the best wireless barcode scanners available on the market are as follows:

Nadamoo wireless barcode scanner:   This scanner works offline also with a battery life of 30 hours. It is available as cordless and USB wired also.  It can scan indoors up to 328 miles.  So, that means it is a scanner that can study at a long range also.  Further, it consists of an internal memory that can save up to 10000 barcodes.

Taotronics 2-in-1 Bluetooth and wired barcode scanner: This scanner has an internal memory of 16MB that means it can store up to 200000 barcodes. Its scan rate is 200 scans per second. This can scan even indoors, and the wireless range of this scanner is 32 feet.

Conclusion

The warehouse scanner is one of the most important tools in an eCommerce business because it ensures that you are maximizing inventory to stay profitable. With a good warehouse scanner, you will know your exact inventory levels at all times and can plan for growth accordingly. Warehouse scanners come with many features like barcode scanning, RFID reading, UPC code reading (EAN), color sorting capabilities, photo capture abilities; they also save time by eliminating paperwork or manual data entry.

As a 3PL, you're going to need inventory management software. This will help you maintain accurate inventory levels and stay on top of customer service expectations. You'll also save time and money with this investment!  If your company is looking for an efficient way to manage their warehouse operations, contact us today