How to Use QR Codes for Inventory Management

Inventory management is a complex operation that requires fast and accurate product tracking and a well-organized database of information. Quick response (QR) codes efficiently record product information and trace each item’s path along the supply chain. QR code inventory management is an easy solution to make your warehouse a powerhouse of efficiency.

QR codes are squares of black dots superimposed on a white background. They were invented in Japan in 1994 by a subsidiary of Toyota to keep track of automobile parts during assembly. Now they are used frequently in advertising, as they can lead the scanner directly to a URL, social media site, app or other online destination. While QR codes are helpful in many business and marketing scenarios, their performance truly shines in inventory management. 

1. Manage Inventory With QR Codes
2. How to Make QR Codes Using Finale Inventory
3. Benefits of Our QR Code Solutions
4. QR Code Technology for Your Business Needs
5. QR Code Solutions From Finale Inventory

Manage Inventory With QR Codes  

A QR code system can streamline your inventory management process and make product tracking easier. With Finale Inventory, you can create QR codes that combine large amounts of data in a small square, giving you access to product details about each item as well as location information for easy tracking in your warehouse. 

QR codes made with Finale Inventory’s inventory management software can contain all of the following information:

• Product ID: Usually found below or above the barcode, you can easily incorporate product IDs into a QR code.
• Lot ID: These identification numbers are found elsewhere on the packaging. QR codes centralize the information contained in a lot ID and help you track bulk items at any point along the supply chain, from the time they arrive in the warehouse to when you ship them to customers.
• Serial number: Located on the label or sometimes inside a product’s manual, serial numbers are assigned to each part or piece of merchandise to allow for complete tracking.
• Sublocation: This identifier allows warehouse workers to find products within their stock quickly. Input an item’s sublocation into a QR code and be able to instantly check if it’s in stock and check its location.
• Order labels: With a QR code, you can bring up the order label associated with an item and determine its status.

Because QR codes can contain so much information, they can replace all linear codes already in use. Switching to QR code inventory management simplifies your product identification process and makes receiving new shipments, picking products from the warehouse and transferring stock between locations a smoother process. Finale’s inventory management software is also agile enough to incorporate QR codes into the system of barcodes you already use. 

How to Make QR Codes Using Finale Inventory

Using QR code technology in your inventory management can save your company lots of time in the warehouse. Learning how to make QR codes for inventory management is simple with your existing Finale Inventory account. Follow the step-by-step guide below to begin printing QR code labels with Finale Inventory: 

1. Create a list of products you want to track using QR codes. 
2. Determine the label sizes you need for your products. 
3. Navigate to the Finale Inventory homepage on our website. Log in if you have not already.
4. Select the Products option under the Inventory column.
5. Click on the product for which you want to print a QR code. 
6. Go to the Product Reports column on the left.
7. Select Print QR Code Labels. 
8. Input the number of labels you want to print. 
9. Click Print PDF.

Your new QR codes will then be part of Finale Inventory’s efficient inventory management system. Scan them as a quality check to be sure they contain the information you need. 

Benefits of Our QR Code Solutions 

With accessible order information and automatic notifications available directly from a scanner or enabled smartphone, many companies switch from barcodes to manage inventory with QR codes. Consider the following benefits of integrating a QR code system into your product tracking:

1. Increased Storage

QR codes can store the same information as all linear labels mentioned above, including product details and part numbers. They can do this because QR codes can contain plain text up to thousands of characters long, far more than other kinds of line-based universal product codes (UPCs). All of your product’s information is accessible with just a mobile phone’s camera scan. 

2. Updates in Real-Time

With dynamic QR codes, you can automatically update product details like cost without needing to print new labels. You can input further information and correct mistakes virtually and your QR codes will be updated immediately. Dynamic codes will also tell you when and with what device the code was last scanned so you can keep tabs on tracking and order fulfillment. 

3. Faster Scanning

Linear, or 1D, codes are only scannable in one direction — from left to right — and you must scan them using a specialized barcode scanner or pen. Most barcodes only contain two pieces of information — five numbers each to identify the manufacturer and the make or style of the product. You can scan QR codes, on the other hand, from multiple directions. They also have a much larger capacity for data storage.

4. Ease of Access 

QR codes make it easy for warehouse managers and inventory directors to store information in the cloud, giving all team members access to stored data. Finale Inventory’s cloud-based warehouse management system lets you track products within a warehouse or across multiple locations. QR codes can be beneficial if employees spend a lot of time picking orders on the warehouse floor because they give employees mobile access to the product database. 

5. Damage Resistance 

QR codes use an algorithm for error correction, which means that depending on the damage they suffer, they can still restore some of the lost information. The highest level of error correction a QR code can have is 30% correction. If your QR codes are torn, smudged or folded in some way during shipment, they are much more likely to still function as compared to a 1D barcode. 

QR Code Technology for Your Business Needs 

With the QR code solutions at Finale Inventory, your business can:

• Save time: With QR codes, you can locate products within your warehouse quickly. Employees can use smartphones or other mobile scanners to scan the QR code without returning to a single computer to check data.
• Save money: Our inventory tracking software works with any scanning equipment you already use, including smartphone scanners, so you save on scanning equipment. And by using QR codes, you can lower your printing costs by combing multiple labels into one.
• Eliminate paper waste: With Finale Inventory’s cloud-based inventory tracking system, you only need to print QR code labels for your products. There is no need to track inventory by hand because the system stores all the updates.

QR Code Solutions From Finale Inventory

Our QR code technology helps crucial warehouse operations run smoothly. The inventory management software from Finale Inventory can fit flexibly with the inventory management techniques you currently use or switch to efficient QR code labeling. Save time and cut costs while tracking products through every shipping stage with the efficiency of QR codes. 

QR codes are simple to print with Finale Inventory and can replace many other labels used during inventory management and shipping. If you need a custom QR code or run into any issues with the printing process, our in-house support team will be happy to help. Schedule a live demo of our software or start a free trial today and see the difference Finale Inventory systems make.