For years, barcode inventory meant buying handheld scanners, docking stations, and software that only ran on a desktop in the back office. For a small wholesale business, that was often enough friction to stay on a clipboard and a spreadsheet. Today the camera in an iPhone reads barcodes and QR codes quickly and reliably, which means the hardware your team needs is probably already in their pockets.
Here's how to set up a barcode workflow that actually keeps your counts accurate.
Step 1: Decide what gets a barcode
Most products you buy from suppliers already carry a UPC or EAN barcode, and you can use it as-is. For products you make or repack yourself, such as roasted coffee, bottled sauces, or kitted parts, print your own labels. The rule is simple: every distinct thing you sell, at the unit you sell it in, should have exactly one code.
Step 2: Add your products once
Create each product in your inventory app and scan its barcode to attach it. Doing this by scanning instead of typing avoids the single most common source of bad data: a code entered with one wrong digit. Add the details you'll actually use, such as unit, cost, and default price, and skip the rest until you need it.
Step 3: Receive stock by scanning
When a delivery arrives, scan items as they come off the pallet and confirm quantities. Receiving is where most count errors start, because it's tempting to "enter it later." Scanning on the spot means the count is right before the product hits the shelf.
Step 4: Let orders move stock, not people
The fastest way to wreck a count is to have someone manually subtract stock after every sale. Instead, stock should move automatically as orders move through your pipeline, for example when an order is packed or shipped. Then the only manual adjustments left are the real exceptions: damage, samples, and returns.
Step 5: Run small, frequent counts
Instead of shutting down for a full physical count once a year, count a few shelves or your fastest-moving products each week. With a phone in hand, a cycle count takes minutes: scan, enter what's there, and let the app flag the difference. Small counts catch problems while they're still small.
Step 6: Keep a movement history
When a number looks wrong, you need to know why. A good system records every receipt, sale, and adjustment, along with who made it and when, so you can trace a discrepancy instead of guessing. It also makes it obvious when one step in your process keeps getting skipped.
Step 7: Set low-stock alerts
Accurate counts are only useful if someone looks at them. Set a reorder point on the products that matter and let the app tell you when you're getting close, before a customer order comes in that you can't fill.
Doing this in Stowed
In Stowed Business, barcode and QR scanning is included on every plan, Free included. Your team scans with the iPhone camera to add products, receive stock, and update counts. Orders move stock as they go from draft to shipped, and every movement is recorded. Stowed also generates GS1 SSCC shipping labels for businesses whose retail customers require them.
Scan, receive, and count from the iPhone you already have. Scanning is included on the Free plan.
Download Stowed Business freeFAQ
For most small warehouses, yes. The iPhone camera reads standard barcodes and QR codes, and an inventory app like Stowed uses it to add products, receive stock, and run counts without separate scanner hardware.
If a product doesn't already have a supplier UPC or EAN, print your own label so every item you sell has exactly one code. Many small producers use simple printed labels.
Small, frequent cycle counts, such as a few shelves or your fastest-moving items each week, catch errors earlier than one big annual count and don't require shutting down.
Related: Why spreadsheets stop working for inventory · Inventory app checklist for small wholesale