WILL ONLINE SHOPPING KILL BARCODES

Retail (online shopping) is one of the most competitive industries. For brands that want to stand out from their competitors, Whether online or in-store, GS1 barcodes still provide the trusted data foundation for retailers and brands, helping businesses large and small.

Posted by: Teachable Tech
Updated: 02/05/2022

Will Online Shopping Kill Barcodes? No, because online shopping, like conventional shopping, uses barcodes to track product movement and allows retail workers to quickly identify fast-selling products, which is the primary use of barcodes.

Most shoppers are aware of this, but not fully aware of the enormity of what it integrates. It means store-level inventory control, but the barcode is also used to control raw materials, parts, and subassembly inventory in manufacturing.

Other reasons, barcode labeling will not be killed by online shopping because they are also needed to serve and support online shopping management systems.

Online Shopping Makes Barcodes More Important-not Less

Online shopping includes online transactions business-to-business, tracking product details and movements, which are all done using barcodes. Barcodes are the key to helping retail stores run smoothly and store important data in a machine-readable format.

Barcode is also used to:
  • Efficiency and speed can be improved, and information can be received quickly.
  • Better accuracy than manual data entry when handling an item from shipment to sale.
  • Get the items in the right quantity into the shipment.
  • Get the right item into the individual package.
  • Track item's progress and location by scanning its barcode at different points in shipment.

What Do Barcodes Actually Do in Retail?

The concept behind barcodes is that they encode information about a specific product or even a batch of products. Barcode scanner allows retail workers to quickly identify fast-selling items. Subsequently, this allows for quicker stock replenishment and helps keep up with customer demand.

After capturing the product information, barcode scanners link to a host computer or tablet and transfer that information in real-time without additional human interference. Barcode helps retailers automate data collection processes and reduce human errors like inventory item tracking and processing point of sale transactions.

When looking at barcodes for retail products, the two most common forms of barcodes used are the UPC (or Universal Product Code) barcode and the Code 128 barcode. Both are incredibly similar, but their uses are completely different.

How Do You Create Barcode?

Barcodes are generated using software. Stores decide what information (quantity, price, product type) they want to collect with the barcode and choose the barcode label format.

Software will automatically generate a machine-readable barcode. You can use barcode generator tool to create your retail barcode labels.

Business Barcodes for Retail Industry

Easily create and print customized barcodes for your retail business.

Business Barcode Maker Tool generates barcodes using 2D or linear barcode symbologies. Whether it's managing inventory systems or better customer service, barcode technology has become an inseparable part of retail. Below are some 1D and 2D barcode types commonly used in the retail industry.

1D Barcodes: UPC-A and UPC-E are the two most common 1D barcode types used in retail industry. UPC stands for Universal Product Code. Other 1D barcode types used in retail are EAN-8, Industrial 2 of 5, EAN-13, Code 93, etc.

2D Barcodes: QR Codes, GS1 Composite codes, DataMatrix codes etc., are some of the most commonly used 2D barcode types in the retail industry.