Have you often seen a combination of vertical lines and digits imprinted on several products and items while buying groceries or buying tickets? These are barcodes and QR codes, unique identification codes that a user can scan with the help of specialized tools.
Barcode technology is not limited to retail products; its usage has been gaining popularity in several other industries. Various businesses rely on barcode technology to accelerate their market reach and sales, thus stepping ahead in the world of technology. What’s more interesting? Barcodes secure products more than anything and can be used for tagging assets and tracking inventory. The uses of barcodes go beyond these functions. They can help you streamline your business operations with ease and efficiency.
Here are the nine interesting uses of barcodes that you probably didn’t know.
Air Travel
The air travel industry relies heavily on barcode technology to perform several operations. It includes scanning baggage and boarding passes, inventory management, distribution of vouchers, improved customer services, and baggage search and claim. With each unique barcode on the boarding pass, passengers experience a seamless travel experience throughout the journey. Moreover, it makes the job of the security staff easier and hassle-free. They don’t have to put much effort into verifying the passengers each time they pass the security check. The barcode reader processes the data with the help of a computer in milliseconds.
Fast and Self-Checkouts
No industry has received the immense benefits of barcode technology more than the retail industry. It not only improved the customer experience while shopping but also played a major role in shaping the retail industry. Retail stores can use barcode scanning software from Code Corp to process billing and inventory management. With such digital tools, customers don’t have to wait in long queues just to pay their bills. Processing of billing has been made easier and faster with the help of a barcode scanner compared to the old method of catalog. Customers can self-checkout at any retail market by scanning their purchased products. In addition, barcode technology also gives a sense of relief to the cashiers as they don’t have to enter information about each product manually.
Ticket Verification
Tickets imprinted with barcodes are commonly used today to eliminate the chances of fake copies and long queues. Barcode readers give a fast, secure and easier solution for many businesses to manage and verify the ticketing process. They don’t need a lot of staff to check the validity of tickets; a barcode scanner is enough to serve the purpose. It captures accurate information that would not have been possible manually. This technology is much more common in the entertainment industry, such as at stadiums, movie theaters, and live shows.
Biometrics
The use of biometric systems for recording and maintaining the attendance of staff and students is a common example of barcode technology. Each biometric device uses an inbuilt barcode reader to scan the id of an employee or a student with the help of a beam of light. Moreover, data is stored over computers using an ethernet cable or wirelessly to access later for tracking purposes. It helps the organizations stay on track while monitoring the attendance record of their employees and getting them compensated for the working time only. Biometric technology saves employers from manually maintaining a staff record, thus cutting costs and utilizing time for more important operations.
Library Management
It may sound unfamiliar, but books need protection, too, just like valuables from being stolen. Barcode readers and scanners are the tools that enable library staff to manage and secure books in the libraries efficiently. Since there are many books, manually checking each book on each bookshelf is impossible. All books have unique barcodes that show their title and other detailed information. When anyone requests a book, librarians search the system and distribute the books through a barcode scanner. In this way, they efficiently maintain the record of books and know what books are available or missing from the library.
Error Optimization
Automation has reduced the chances of errors and left no room for a slow pace of work. With the use of barcode readers and scanners, organizations gained huge profits and saved money by removing handwriting errors. On average, people commit ten errors per every one thousand words. However, with barcode scans, these errors are under control, and there is one error per same word count on average. In general, barcode and QR code use four levels of error correction. Raising the bar for correction also makes the code more complicated and dense. For marketing purposes, levels L and M are usually recommended with error correction capability of 7 and 15 percent, respectively.
Recycling
With the rapid rise of technology in every industry, barcodes have also become a part of the recycling industry. Barcoded recycle bins are all set to gain popularity in the mainstream to promote incentive-based recycling. Wherever a recycle bin embedded with a barcode enters the system, a barcode scanner can identify the number and value of recycled items. As a reward, participants can win shopping vouchers for the amount of recyclable material they put into the bin. It helps organizations to make more environmentally-friendly initiatives with the help of technology.
Protection Against Theft and Liability
When each item is encrypted with a specific barcode, it becomes secure to track. Only a barcode scanner can read and identify this unique code and store data in the system. Thus, barcode readers help protect against theft from employees and outsiders. Furthermore, businesses move forward in the right direction by manufacturing the exact number of products, thus eliminating the chances of liability.
Reliable and Efficient Communication
Communication and data sharing have become integral components of today’s world. No business can survive without considering the role of secured communication and data sharing. Barcode readers also come into play as they allow secure and protected communication and data and file sharing among people. Channel barcodes are the means to prevent your data and stay ahead of hackers and third parties. These tools prevent invaders from getting into the system.
Final Thoughts
Undoubtedly, barcode technology is not going anywhere any time soon with its rapidly growing functionality in the business and entertainment world. Fear of human errors, insecure communication channels, and data loss would only boost the use of barcodes in the coming days. Barcode technology has automated the manual work and contributed to implementing less complicated, time-saving, and pocket-friendly business operations.
