Barcode labels for a small business: what you need and what you don't
You don't need a warehouse scanner or paid-for retail barcodes to scan your own stock. A phone camera and printed labels will usually do.
By The Osmuch team · · 5 min read
In short
- Retail barcodes (GS1) are only needed if you sell products through retailers who require them.
- For your own shelves, vans and tools, any code that is unique inside your business will do.
- Use the manufacturer's barcode where a product already has one.
- A phone camera is enough for most small businesses; a dedicated scanner earns its place at high volume.
- Choose labels that survive where they will live: yards and vans are hard on paper.
Barcodes save typing and stop mistakes: scan a label and you land on the right product, with no searching and no misread part numbers. For a small business the question is usually what it will cost to set up. Less than many people expect.
You probably don't need retail barcodes
The barcodes on supermarket products are issued by GS1, and they cost money because they have to be unique across the whole world. You only need them if you make products that will be sold through retailers who insist on them. For labelling your own stock, tools and equipment, a code that is unique inside your own business is all you need, and you can make it up yourself.
Use the barcode that is already there
Many of the products a trade business buys already carry the manufacturer's barcode. Where they do, record that barcode against the product rather than printing a new label. Deliveries arrive labelled and there is nothing to stick on.
What to label
- Small, cheap parts: label the shelf or the bin, not each item.
- Boxed products: label the box, or use the manufacturer's barcode.
- Tools and equipment: label each one, so you can see who has it and when it was last checked.
- Anything tracked by serial number: label each unit with its own code.
Labels that last
Paper labels are fine indoors on a dry shelf. In a yard, a van or anywhere that gets wet or greasy, use synthetic labels, which survive far longer. A small thermal label printer is quick when you are labelling a lot; sheets of labels through an office printer are fine for getting started.
Scanning
Modern phone cameras read barcodes well, including in poor light if the phone's torch can be switched on while scanning. For most small businesses a phone is all the scanner they need. A dedicated handheld scanner earns its place if someone scans hundreds of items a day.
Questions
Do I need to buy GS1 barcodes?
Only if you sell your products through retailers that require them. For your own stock, tools and equipment, any code that is unique within your business will work.
Can I scan barcodes with my phone?
Yes. A modern phone camera reads common barcodes and QR codes well, which is enough for most small businesses.
Should I label every item?
Not usually. Label the shelf or bin for small, cheap parts, the box for boxed products, and each individual unit only for tools, equipment and anything tracked by serial number.
Doing this in Osmuch
In Osmuch you can give any product, piece of equipment or property a barcode, including the manufacturer's own, and print labels for them. Scan with your phone's camera to open the record, adjust the count on the spot or check what is left, without searching a list or typing a part number. In the phone app the scanner has a torch button for dark stockrooms and vans.
Guide: barcodes batches and serials · Guide: osmuch on your phone · Guide: adding your first product