How,Retailers,Save,Time,and,Im business, insurance How Retailers Save Time and Improve Service with Bar Coding

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We see it everyday. Millions of retailers are using barcodes and scanners to check out customers and enterinventory. Even small stores find that bar coding ispractical because it speeds up checkout, tracks stock, andassures pricing accuracy.Unfortunately, not everyone uses bar coding technologyproperly. And they don't reap as many benefits as theycould. Utilizing bar codes with your POS software will allow youto...- Serve customers faster and improve service by quicklyscanning bar codes at the point of sale (POS) instead oftyping a SKU.- Reduce pricing and inventory errors. Scanning bar codes atthe POS is much more accurate than typing a SKU. The typicalerror rate for human data entry is 1 error per 300characters. Barcode scanners can be as good as 1 error in 36trillion characters depending on the type of barcode used.- Save time and improve efficiency. If all yourmerchandise isbar coded you can save time by checking out customersfaster, instantly implementing mark downs and eliminatingthe problem of price tag switching.- Quickly count your inventory at any time. If youpurchase aPDT (portable data terminal) you can count and enter yourinventory by scanning each item with a PDT. The PDT willstore your inventory count so you can quickly upload it intoyour POS software.- Reduce costs. If you have UPCs on your merchandise thenyoudon't have to put the price tag on the product itself, whichsaves time and reduces handling costs.- Improve the accuracy of your inventory. One of the biggestcost savings and benefits is maintaining a more accurateinventory. Bar coding reduces errors at receiving and at thepoint of sale so your inventory stays accurate.HOW IT WORKSFirst of all, a bar code is a series of narrow and widelines printed on a label or tag. Each bar on the labelrepresents a character for a "bar code reader" to interpret.You can scan the bar code with a bar code reader which usesa photosensor to convert the bar code into an electricalsignal as it moves across the bars. The scanner thenmeasures the relative widths of the bars and spaces,translates the different patterns back into regularcharacters, and sends them on to a computer or portableterminal.Most bar codes look similar but they can have differentsymbologies or standards. The symbology defines the width ofthe bars and the technical details of a particular type ofbarcode.For example, the UPC (Universal Product Code) is seen onalmost all retail products in the USA and Canada. And EAN-13is a common code used on European retail products. Your barcode reader and inventory software will need to be setupproperly to read the "symbology" that you use.WHAT YOU NEEDYou'll need the following items to start using bar coding...1. POS - Inventory Software that supports bar code scanningat the point of sale. 2. A bar code scanner that's compatible with your POSsoftware.3. Merchandise that's properly labeled with bar codesymbologies that your POS software and scanners can handle. 4. A bar code printer (if all your merchandise comes withUPC codes you won't need this). HOW TO GET STARTEDStep 1 - Decide if you need a bar code printer. If ALL ofyour products already have UPC codes then you can probablyuse those. Otherwise you'll have to buy a "bar code printer"and create your own bar code labels.Step 2 - Contact your POS - Inventory Software Vendor tofind out which scanners and bar code printers they support.You'll need to purchase a bar code scanner and possibly abar code printer.Step 3 - Ask your software vendor how to setup your POS -Inventory Software to handle your bar code printer andscanner. Then get your software ready to print labels andscan items at the point of sale.Step 4 - Get ALL of your merchandise bar coded and enteredinto your POS software. You'll need to use your POS softwareto print bar code labels for ALL merchandise that doesn'thave a UPC code. (Once you get everything labeled you canprint and label new merchandise at receiving.)You'll also need to make sure that the inventory in your POSsoftware has the appropriate UPC code associated with eachitem. Some of your suppliers might be able to provide"electronic price files" which can be loaded into your POSsoftware. The price file would include SKUs, prices and UPCnumbers. Otherwise you'll have to manually associate a UPCnumber with each inventory item. Again, you'll need tocontact your software vendor to learn how to do this.Step 5 - Make sure your POS software has accurate pricingand each inventory item has bar coding configured. Step 6 - Now all you have to do is scan items at theregister instead of entering the SKU. The SKU and priceshould get entered into the POS system automatically.If used properly, bar coding technology can help you checkout customers 20% to 50% faster and lower error rates byalmost 4%. Not only does this dramatically improve yourcustomer service but it saves time and lowers your overhead.If you need help getting started with bar coding, it's bestto contact your POS - inventory software provider. Article Tags: Save Time, Improve Service, Coding Technology, Inventory Software, Code Printer, Software Vendor