Using alternate barcodes for an SKU is a common practice in the ecommerce business. In ShipHero, alternate barcodes can be used during the picking, packing, and receiving flows. When an alternate barcode is scanned, the system recognizes the SKU and increments the quantity specified for that alternate barcode when it was created.
Common Use Cases
The most common use cases for alternate barcodes include:
- Packaging Variations: The same product may have one barcode for a single unit and a different barcode (like an ITF-14) for a case pack, both linked to the same SKU.
- Marketplace Identifiers: E-commerce platforms like Amazon use their own product identifiers (like ASINs) that can be stored as alternate barcodes for a product's primary UPC and internal SKU.
- Multiple Suppliers: Different suppliers of the same product may use their own unique barcodes, all of which are linked to a single internal SKU.
- Internal Barcodes: A company may create its own scannable barcode for an SKU for efficient in-house tracking, while the product also has a separate manufacturer's barcode.
NOTE: Although alternate barcodes are created and managed in the Product Case Barcodes section of the product details page, they are not the same as our true Units of Measure feature. Learn more about Units of Measure HERE.
How to Create an Alternate Barcode
Like kits, alternate barcodes are not warehouse-specific. When you create an alternate barcode for a product in one warehouse, it will automatically be created for the other warehouses as well. There is no limit to the number of case barcodes you can create for each product.
To create an alternate barcode:
- Open the product details page for the SKU you want to add an alternate barcode to.
- Scroll to the Product Case Barcodes section and click +Add a product case.
- Type the alternate barcode into the Case Barcode field and the increment to be used when the barcode is scanned into the Case Quantity field.
- Case Quantity of 1: Use this for marketplace identifiers, multiple suppliers, or internal barcodes.
- Case Quantity (total quantity in the case): Use this for packaging variations like carton or case labels.
- Click Add to save your alternate barcode.
Optional: Assign a Unit of Measure.
After the barcode is saved, you can assign a Unit of Measure to it. The Unit of Measure field is for informative purposes only on the product details page and serves no other function in the platform.
To create a unit of measure type for your alternate barcodes:
- Go to the Inventory > Units of Measure page.
- Click the + Add a unit of measure button and then hit Save.
You can edit the name or delete the unit of measure as needed.