Square barcode-enables advanced inventory management

Mobile payment technology provider Square is offering new barcode-based inventory management features in its Square for Retail POS app.

New features include “Easy Item Create,” which helps sellers populate item information in their omnichannel catalogs with the scan of a barcode; “Quick Inventory Counting,” which helps sellers easily keep their stock counts accurate with simple barcode scanning; and “Smart Stock Alerts,” which use machine learning to anticipate when an item is going to run out of stock and automatically helps sellers reorder.

“Last year was a challenging one for retailers,” said Roshan Jhunja, GM, Square for Retail. “We’re looking forward to providing sellers with access to the tools they need to prepare for re-openings and the year ahead. We’re also excited to help sellers continue to automate difficult, but necessary tasks like inventory management, and get back to doing what they love - running their business.”

“Before we started using Square’s new inventory management features, keeping track of our stock could have been a full-time job,” said Kamala Allison, owner of Fybr Bamboo, a clothing and homegoods store in Santa Cruz, California. “Taking stock used to be an all-night affair, but with Quick Inventory Counting we can just use a barcode scanner to quickly and easily get an accurate view of our inventory. And Smart Stock Alerts enable us to improve cash flow and replenish our best-sellers before we miss a sale.”