The end of financial year is often the time when most companies in Australia need to complete the dreaded stocktake. This also means it’s time for a comprehensive stocktake of the entire inventory.

Whether you are counting stock in a warehouses across multiple locations, or “Out the back”, performing accurate and regular stocktake can greatly improve your bottom line. It is the fundamental task to attain the true picture of your company’s profitability. Finding inconsistencies between stock count and records is common regardless of the size of the business. One of the obvious reasons that stock can go missing is theft or loss. Differences in stocktake numbers can also occur due to damaged stock that’s been badly transported or stored incorrectly. By determining why the figures aren’t adding up at stocktake time, you can implement strategies to minimise or prevent these mistakes from happening again. With the right information to hand, better decisions can be made for your business.

This year, make stocktake easier with one of these great barcode scanners. Use them for stocktake and then every day for all your transactions.

Using a Barcode scanner can greatly speed up the stocktaking process, minimise errors and repeats as the stock taker only needs to aim at the barcode and in split seconds the barcode date is captured and entered. Once the information has been entered, it can be compared with existing spreadsheet or digital POS system to find discrepancies and update information accordingly. Due to greater accuracy and increased speed, using a barcode scanner when conducting stocktake is popular among small to medium businesses that have a moderate to large amount of stock.

The general rule of thumb when doing a stocktake with the help of a barcode scanner is to “Divide and conquer”. And there are two ways that can be implemented when using this strategy. First is by diving stock by categories or by brands and running separate counts which is called a cycle counting.

Second method is by diving the staff and provide extra scanners so everybody can work at once. This method can significantly reduce the time and burden of the stocktake making it easier to address any potential inconsistencies with inventory records.

Ease This Year's Stocktake with our Top-of-the-line Barcode Scanners

Zebra DS2208 Corded Scanner

Zebra DS2208 is a 1D and 2D barcode scanner. It’s pre-configured and ready to use out of the box. The default settings are already optimized for the majority if scanning applications including stocktake. Zebra DS2208 scanner provides workers the best in class first time, every time scanning with a point and shoot simplicity regardless of barcode conditions.

Specifications of DS2208 Scanner

Scanning Range: 2cm - 36cm
Decode Capability: 1D, 2D, pdf417
Scanning Technology: Imager (Able to scan barcodes from screens. Ex. Mobile Phones and tablets.)
Drop Specifications: Designed to withstand multiple 1.5m drops to concrete.
Connectivity: USB
Warranty: 5 years

Zebra DS2278 Cordless Scanner

Zebra DS2278 barcode scanner is so easy to use, chances are your workers won’t even need training. This Bluetooth model offers the easiest pairing available today and provides a guaranteed 14 hours of power, workers get a superior wireless experience. The long lasting battery of the DS2278 cordless scanner will likely never need to be replaced during the lifecycle of the scanner, eliminating the need to purchase and manage a battery pool.

Specifications of DS2278 Scanner

Shift Life: 14 Hours
Decode Capability: 1D, 2D, pdf417
Scanning Technology: Imager (Able to scan barcodes from screens. Ex. Mobile Phones and tablets.)
Drop Specifications: Designed to withstand multiple 1.5m drops to concrete
Connectivity Options: Connect to iPad, Android or Windows tablets via Bluetooth
Bluetooth Range: 100m Line Of Sight (Class 1: When connected to a cradle), 10m Line Of Sight (Class 2: When connected via a paired device)
Scanning Range: 2cm - 36cm
Warranty: 3 Years

Zebra ds3678-SR Cordless Rugged Scanner

The stocktake accuracy depends on the quality of the scanner you put in their hands. When workers need to capture 1D and 2D barcodes at standard ranges with a cordless scanner in a warehouse or manufacturing plant, the best in class is the DS3678-SR Rugged cordless scanner. The advanced rugged imager delivers lightning-fast capture of any 1D or 2D barcode printed on a label even if the barcodes are under shrink-wraps or damaged, dirty or poorly printed or displayed on a screen, from near contact to nearly 5 ft./1.5 m away.

Specification of DS3678-SR Scanner

Decode Capability: 1D, 2D
Scanning Technology: Imager (Able to scan barcodes from screens. Ex. Mobile Phones and tablets.)
Multi-code captures: Processes up to 20 barcodes simultaneously
Drop Specifications: Designed to withstand multiple 2.4m drops to concrete
Connectivity Options: Connect to iPad, Android or Windows tablets via Bluetooth
Bluetooth Range: 100m Line Of Sight (Class 1: When connected to a cradle), 10m Line Of Sight (Class 2: When connected via a paired device)Scanning Range: Easily read barcodes from near contact to nearly 5 ft./1.5 m away
Warranty: 3 Years

Features and Benefits of using barcode scanners for Stocktake

• Easy to perform stocktakes.
• Integrates into your existing ERP.
• Communicates in batch and wireless connectivity modes for accurate and live reports on stock usage.
• Manages your stock rooms, ward store rooms and warehouses.
• With the stocktake done and the numbers in, get the most out of your hard work at the same time. Use this data to change any inefficiencies and also to do a product performance review. It is also a great time to reflect on what worked well and didn’t work well with the stocktake so the next year stocktake will be much easier. If you found this year’s stocktake stressful, have a look at setting up an inventory management system so help next year stocktake.