Inventory control / barcode workflow

Barcode Inventory Management Software for Australian Small Business

Use the phone in your team's pocket to scan, track and control stock without turning every movement into another manual data-entry task.

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The stock movement

01ScanRead the product or batch

02RecordAttach it to the right workflow

03Stock changeUpdate the quantity on hand

Barcode in, order out — the customer portal POS screen.

No separate scanning app or enterprise handheld terminal is required for the browser-based workflow described here.

01 / start with the process

Barcodes solve a process problem, not a people problem.

Everything your team needs to scan, track, and control stock — using the phone in their pocket.

Mobile barcode scanning on any smartphone or tablet — no separate app, no expensive handheld terminal
Scan to receive stock against purchase orders and update inventory in real-time
Scan to pick and dispatch orders from generated pick lists, with wrong-item flagging
Scanning-based stocktakes that replace clipboard and count sheet workflows
Batch barcode generation for manufactured and repackaged products (requires manufacturing module)
Print barcode labels directly from BSimple for your own SKUs and products

Managing 100+ SKUs manually is exactly where stock errors start creeping in. A supplier delivery gets partially miscounted. A picker grabs the wrong variant. A stocktake takes two days and the numbers still don't reconcile. None of this is a people problem — it's a process problem, and barcodes solve it.

The assumption most small businesses make is that barcode scanning requires expensive handheld hardware or enterprise warehouse software. That's not the case with BSimple. Your team can use any smartphone or tablet to scan barcodes for receiving, picking, and stocktakes — there's no separate scanning app to install, no Bluetooth terminal to charge, and no IT setup required. Point the camera at a barcode, and BSimple does the rest. Simple as that.

When it comes to managing your wholesale or manufacturing business, having the right inventory management and ordering software can make all the difference. At BSimple, our platform offers seamless integration with Xero accounting software, ensuring your inventory levels and orders are always in sync. Plus, our intuitive platform provides real-time insights into your inventory management costs, empowering you to make informed decisions and streamline your operations.

See the broader inventory workflow

02 / inbound and outbound

One scan should change the next warehouse decision.

IN / RECEIVE

Match the delivery to the purchase order.

When a supplier delivery pulls up, the old process is to count boxes, scribble quantities on a delivery docket, and then enter those numbers into your system later - hoping nothing gets transposed or forgotten in between. With barcode scanning in BSimple, your team opens the relevant purchase order on their phone and scans each item as it comes off the truck. The system confirms quantities against what was ordered and updates inventory on the spot. No manual counting. No re-entry. No reconciliation at the end of the week.

On the dispatch side, BSimple generates pick lists from customer orders. Your team moves through the warehouse scanning each item as they pick it - the system confirms the right product and the right quantity for that specific order. If the wrong item gets scanned, BSimple flags it before anything gets packed. That's a pick error caught before it becomes a customer complaint, a return, and the cost of re-shipping.

Once orders are fulfilled, BSimple pushes confirmed invoices through to Xero automatically - so your accounts are updated without anyone typing a thing. If you want to understand how the full order process connects, take a look at our order management system overview.

OUT / DISPATCH

Catch the wrong item before it becomes a return.

Pick from the customer order, confirm the product and quantity, and flag a mismatch before the parcel leaves. Confirmed fulfilment can then flow into the invoice and accounting record.

See the order-management handoff

03 / count without the clipboard

Make the variance visible while someone can still investigate it.

Ask anyone who's run a traditional stocktake what it involves and they'll tell you: print count sheets, clear the warehouse, count everything by hand, enter the numbers, investigate the variances, count again. For a business with a few hundred SKUs, that's a full day - sometimes two. And there's still a decent chance the final numbers have a few data-entry errors baked in.

With BSimple's barcode scanning, stocktakes work differently. Your team moves through the warehouse with their phone, scanning items as they go. BSimple records the count and compares it to what the system expects to be on the shelf - flagging variances immediately, so you're investigating them in real-time rather than three days later when no one can remember what was where.

You can also run cycle counts - scanning one section of the warehouse at a time on a rolling basis - rather than shutting everything down for a full count once a year. It's a much more practical approach for businesses that can't afford downtime. If you want to see the broader inventory picture, our inventory management software page covers how BSimple handles stock tracking across the full cycle.

BSimple Stocktakes screen showing start and review controls and SKU counts — Real BSimple Stocktakes screen. It proves the stocktake index and review state, not a barcode scan itself.

04 / batch traceability

Follow a product from supplier lot to customer invoice.

01Supplier lotWhat arrived and where it came from

02Production batchWhat was made or repackaged

03Customer invoiceWho received the affected stock

For businesses that manufacture products, repackage in bulk, or do light assembly, barcodes do more than just identify SKUs - they identify batches. BSimple's manufacturing module generates a unique barcode for every production batch that rolls off your line. That barcode travels with the batch through finished goods storage and is scanned at dispatch when allocating stock to a customer order.

This creates something genuinely useful: full traceability from the raw material supplier lot through the production batch to the specific customer invoice. If there's ever a quality issue - contaminated ingredient, wrong formulation, certification problem - you can trace forward to see exactly which customers received affected stock, and trace backward to see exactly which supplier delivered the ingredient in question. For food producers, coffee roasters, breweries, and chemical blenders, this is how you manage product recalls and demonstrate compliance without paying ERP money to do it.

This is just one part of what BSimple's manufacturing module handles. If you're producing goods at any scale, the manufacturing inventory software page walks through recipe management, production runs, and batch tracking in full detail.

Questions before rollout

Choose the scanning setup that fits the operation.

Can I use my phone as a barcode scanner with BSimple?

Yes — BSimple's barcode scanning works directly in the browser on any smartphone or tablet using the device camera. There's no separate app to install and no additional hardware required. Your team can start scanning straight away on any device they already have. It works with standard barcodes including Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, and QR codes.

Does BSimple work with any USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner?

Yes. Any USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner that acts as a keyboard input device will work with BSimple — these are the most common type and include popular brands like Zebra, Honeywell, and Tera. Your team simply positions the cursor in the relevant field and scans. If you already have hardware, there's nothing extra to configure on the BSimple side.

How do I print barcode labels from BSimple?

BSimple can generate and print barcode labels for your products and production batches. You can print to a standard label printer (Dymo, Zebra label printers work well) or to regular paper if you're using sheet labels. For manufactured products, batch barcodes are generated automatically when a production run is confirmed, so labels are ready to print straight away without manual data entry.

Does barcode scanning in BSimple sync with Xero?

Yes. BSimple is natively integrated with Xero, so actions triggered by barcode scanning — receiving stock against a purchase order, confirming a picked order for dispatch — flow through to Xero automatically. Supplier bills are created when stock is received, and customer invoices are created when orders are dispatched. There's no manual re-entry between BSimple and Xero.

What barcode formats does BSimple support?

BSimple supports the most common barcode formats used in wholesale and light manufacturing, including Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, and QR codes. If your suppliers print standard GS1 barcodes on their products, those will scan directly. For products without existing barcodes, BSimple can generate and assign barcodes so you can label your own stock.

Make stock movement legible

Give every scan a useful next action.

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