Manual warehouse processes don’t just make things inefficient, they create errors, cost money and damage your customer experience.
And the bigger your business, the worse it gets.
Lost stock. Wrong items. Late deliveries. Paper trails that don’t match reality.
Warehouses running on spreadsheets and manual entry are more prone to mistakes and those mistakes cost you.
Here’s what it looks like BEFORE and AFTER barcode scanning and automation.
BEFORE
Clunky Processes, Wrong Data And No Accountability
1. Wrong Items Get Sent Out
Without scanning, teams rely on printed pick lists and visual checks. So you risk packing the wrong product or quantity.
2. No Real-Time View Of Stock
Manual updates push stock data to the end of the day (or later), leaving you unsure of what’s been picked, received or shipped, especially across multiple warehouses.
3. Stock Counts Don’t Match What’s Actually On The Shelf
Inventory numbers are often wrong because they rely on manual data entry or occasional stock takes.
Staff waste time hunting for missing items and you risk overselling or overordering.
4. No Clear Audit Trail Or Accountability
When errors happen, you can’t see where they started – who picked it, when it was packed, whether it was scanned at goods-in.
There’s no tracking, just finger pointing.
5. Repeat Work And Admin Overload
The same data is often entered more than once by the warehouse team, admin and sometimes even customer service.
It’s slow, repetitive and full of risk.
According to CAPS Research (2024), inventory accuracy in warehouses without automation averages just 67%.
UK retailers are set to lose £27 billion to returns in 2024 – many caused by mispicks and poor stock control. (Retail Economics / ONS, 2024)
AFTER
Barcode Scanning + Automation – Built Into Your ERP
Mistakes don’t just disappear, you design them out of the process.
Here’s how Stok.ly Cloud ERP helps you fix the five biggest problems.
1. Accurate Picking And Packing With Scanning
Every product is scanned before it leaves the shelf and again before it is packed, so you know the right item is going to the right customer.
According to KPMG’s Smart Warehouse Prototype report (2023), barcode automation can increase inventory accuracy to over 98%, while also delivering full traceability and real-time visibility across warehouse operations.
2. Real-Time Stock Updates Across All Locations
The moment something is picked, packed, dispatched, transferred or returned, your inventory updates.
No lag, no confusion.
You always know what’s in stock, where it is and what’s ready to sell.
Real-time visibility cuts overselling and backorders and keeps stock levels accurate without manual entry.
3. Fewer Mistakes With Less Manual Entry
No more typing in SKUs or filling out spreadsheets.
Barcode scanning removes repetitive tasks, reduces human error and speeds up every process from goods-in to dispatch.
It’s smoother, more accurate…. and frees up your team to focus on fulfilment, not fixing mistakes.
4. Clear Tracking And Accountability
Every scan is logged. Every product move is traceable.
See who did what, when, and where, making it easy to fix problems, spot bottlenecks and train smarter.
This kind of visibility helps you catch and prevent errors before they become costly.
5. One System. One View. One Source Of The Truth.
Build barcode scanning into your ERP (not bolt it on) and you get a single, real-time view across all warehouses, sales channels and teams.
No duplicate systems. No confusion. Just accurate stock, right first time.
Built In. Tracked Live. Right First Time.
Customer expectations are high.
Margins are tight.
And if you can’t track your stock properly, you’ll pay for it in lost sales and unhappy customers.
Stok.ly Cloud ERP gives you:-
- Barcode scanning at every stage
- Live inventory updates across all warehouses
- Clear accountability for every stock movement
- One connected system that keeps everything accurate
Build it into your ERP and every site runs on the same live data – no gaps, no guesswork, no repeated tasks.
Just accurate stock, right first time.
Click here for more information about Stok.ly Cloud ERP
Call us on 01432 804333
Author: Iain Coplans CEO Stok.ly