What is UPC and How it can help your Retail Shop?

Universal Product Code or UPC barcodes are seen all the time on retail product packaging, yet most people do not know what these barcodes are used for other than scanning a product at checkout.

The universal product code barcode is a beneficial component, and small businesses can benefit from them. So, let’s dive into it and talk more about what is UPC or universal product code, and how it can help your retail shop.

A universal product code or UPC is a unique 12-digit code or number printed on the retail item packaging. This code helps to identify different items in a store.

The UPC comes in two parts – one is the barcode that consists of black bars that are machine-readable, and the other is the 12-digit number that is printed below it.

The first six numbers of the barcode have the prefix of the company. The following five numbers indicate the reference number of the item or the actual product, and the last number is a check digit that looks out for errors and ensures accuracy.

Universal product code barcode has several advantages for retail shops and consumers. Many people think a universal product code is just used to save time and cut costs, but it is more than that.

Here are some of the advantages of using UPC barcodes for retail shops.

Saves Times

Yes, barcodes are known to save time, and this is something most people already know. Let’s think about this— a customer walks into a shop, picks up a product, and places it on the counter.

The cashier scans the universal product code, and the billing is done within no time at all. Imagine if the item didn’t have a UPC barcode, and the cashier had 100 products to enter into the system manually. How long will customers stand waiting for their items?

Hence without a universal product code barcode and barcode scanners, the process will take much longer, wasting a lot of time and increasing cost.

Improves Inventory Management

A universal product code makes it easy to track inventory accurately, thus reducing inventory levels. Barcodes can track down the actual location of an item, thereby saving a lot of time.

Inventory management is vital for any retail business, and having assigned UPCs for your products can help your business function efficiently. This also ensures more productivity and saves a lot of time.

Cost-Effective

Having universal product code barcode numbers for your items is not very expensive. Barcodes can be designed using a wide variety of materials.

You can customise and design your universal product code according to your needs and budget. UPC barcodes come with many advantages; hence paying to get them for your business is always advisable.

Accurate and Efficient

Human errors are bound to happen, and retail attendants are no exceptions. Even if you have one of the most efficient employees at the counter who has never made a single mistake while entering data, keep in mind that a mistake can happen at any time.

Though it’s not right to penalise an employee for it, that one mistake can cost your business a lot. Manually entering data into the system increases the risk of errors.

Hence, a universal product code helps to eliminate the risk of human error. You have to scan the 12-digit barcode on the item, and the billing is done within no time at all.

A universal product code is reliable and saves time, and helps to provide better information and data. When you have a UPC barcode for your retail products, it becomes easy to obtain information such as pricing, colour, size, and inventory.

Barcodes can also be customised to work for other information as well. They offer a fast and reliable way to manage retail businesses.

UPCs Are Versatile

A universal product code is versatile since it can be easily used for any type of data collection. They are used to track items and products, outgoing shipments, and equipment as well.

UPCs can be used for many different reasons in retail, making it versatile and helpful to run your business efficiently.

Helps in Decision Making

A universal product code barcode is helpful when it comes to better planning and decision-making. Since they can provide any type of data fastly and accurately, they allow retail owners and business managers to make proper and better decisions.

Easy and Convenient

When you have a universal product code for your products, things become easy and convenient. Manual entries or searching for products take up a lot of time and causes inconvenience to customers and workers as well.

Since barcodes can be easily used to scan and track items, work becomes fast, easy, and convenient for everyone.