Barcode scanning is how you add products to any stock take quickly and accurately. You can use your device’s built-in camera, connect a Bluetooth or USB scanner, or search manually — whichever works best for your situation.
Scanning With Your Camera
Tap the camera icon in the scanning bar, point your camera at the barcode, and hold steady. The product appears in your list automatically.
For best results:
Lighting — scan in a well-lit area; shadows make barcodes harder to read
Distance — 6–12 inches away from the label works well for most cameras
Steady — hold still for a moment while the camera focuses
Label condition — torn, faded, or wrinkled barcodes may not scan reliably; type the barcode manually if needed
Using an External Scanner
Bluetooth and USB barcode scanners connect to Stock Take automatically — no special setup needed in the app. Just pair or plug in your scanner, open a stock take session, and start scanning.
Your scanner needs to be in Keyboard Wedge (also called HID) mode, which is the default for most retail scanners. If you’re not sure, check the scanner’s manual.
External scanners are significantly faster than camera scanning for high-volume work. Popular options include Zebra, Honeywell, and Socket Mobile scanners, but most commercial scanners work fine.
Supported Barcode Formats
Stock Take reads all standard retail barcodes — UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-13, EAN-8, Code 128, Code 39, and QR codes. If a barcode is a standard format, it will scan.
How Products Are Matched
When you scan a barcode, the app searches your Shopify products for a match:
First it checks the barcode field on each variant
If no match is found it checks the SKU field
If still nothing, it shows “Product not found”
If a product isn’t found, check that the barcode or SKU is entered correctly in Shopify — it needs to match the label exactly, including any leading zeros.
Searching Instead of Scanning
If scanning isn’t working or you don’t have a barcode to hand, use the search bar to find products by name, SKU, or barcode. Type a few characters and the matching products appear in a dropdown.