How Barcode Technology Benefits SMBs

First used to label train cars, barcodes have made great strides in the last few decades. Today, barcodes are completely integrated into mainstream life. Consider how many barcodes you see a day. Nearly every product in a grocery, department or mass merchandise store bears a UPC barcode. This is due to the fact barcode technology helps regulate processes, increases data input, decreases mistakes and user-error, and in turn, helps promote financial growth and time management.

Barcode Technology and Healthcare

With an aging population, it’s more important than ever for medical facilities to perform swiftly and accurately. As the number of hospital patients grows, so does the opportunity for spread of disease and risk of patient tracking or medical-record errors.

To combat this, medical facilities are increasing their adoption of medication, equipment and patient tracking solutions. Medical professionals notonly need better tracking solutions, but they want disinfectant-ready hardware to lessen the spread of disease. For example, hospital pharmacists distribute medication from a larger vile or container. After packaging the medication into a new bottle, a barcode is added. Instead of bringing the large vial into the patient’s room to distribute medication and then disposing of the potentially contaminated medicine, hospitals can save the medication and money. Once the nurse scans the barcode he or she can cover the five “rights” in medication: The right patient, the right medication, the right dose, and the right entry point.

With the implementation of disinfectant barcode scanners and pre-packaged medication from a larger vile, hospitals are able to save money on medication, by not wasting large vials on one patient; can ensure the correct distribution of medication, through barcode scanning; and decrease the risk of contamination, data error and medicationmismanagement.

Barcode Technology and Consumer Habits

Mobility drives many aspects of our lives today. Retailers have noticed, and are leveraging that driver to increase sales. During peak shopping seasons, consumers see QR codes offering them deals and coupons. Super-savvy shoppers seek ways to make price comparisons while in-store.

Since these consumers have mobile devices—like tablets and smartphones—already in their hands, it makes sense to incorporate barcode technology into those devices. Consumers want price comparisons, deals and coupons at their fingertips, and barcode technology and hardware is the solution to that—both for the retailer and the consumer.

To further capture the convenience of barcode “shopping” manufacturers are experimenting with the virtual grocery store. Take the South Korean subway, for example. The QR codes and photos of products are displayed as if they would be on a grocery shelf. All the user must due is scan the appropriate product and pay. The groceries will be delivered to their home, creating a convenient way for users to shop and save time.

One Boston chef is adding edible barcodes to his dishes in order to enhance the patron’s dining experience. The edible QR code provides information about the dish, the ingredients and the recipe. Furthermore, other seafood restaurants partnered with the Trace andTrust Program, are attaching printer QR cards to their dishes so diners can verify the type of fish, its freshness, where it was flown in from and when. Both efforts are interacting with customers while enhancing their experience.

Barcode Technology and Manufacturing

Things move fast today—and manufactures have to keep up. The more mobile and untethered a manufacturer’s warehouse or sales force can become, the more efficient the company can be.

In light of that, manufacturers want to adopt real-time inventory management solutions that are not only easy to use, but also wireless. Mobile solutions will allow manufactures to work faster and more efficiently, as well as allow them to track items more accurately. Considering 64 percent of companies do a manual search at least once a day to find missing or lost assets and inventory, incorporating tracking software would decrease the risk of losing items and the amount of money wasted on replacing such items.  

Barcode technology continues to assist a variety of SMB’s in various industries. Without the implementation of scanners and tracking software many companies would be missing out on the technology as well as its benefits.