iPhone Inventory Count: A 5-Step Guide
Load the list, photograph shelf by shelf, see what is missing. This is how an inventory count works with the iPhone, without a handheld scanner and without typing.
For many small stores and stockrooms an inventory count is still a major project: close the store, hand out scanners, beep every item one at a time and reconcile the lists in Excel at the end. With Scan2List you photograph a shelf and the app reads every barcode on it at once. If you load your stock list into the Inventory mode first, the app compares as you go and shows you what is missing. This guide walks through the process in five steps.
Step 1: Prepare the stock list
You need a list of what should be there. Most POS and inventory systems can save the stock as an Excel or CSV file. What matters is a column with the barcode and one with the quantity. A column for the area, for example “Shelf 1” or “Back room”, helps with counting but is optional.
If you do not have a list yet, use the template for the store inventory. Items without a barcode, such as house brands or loose goods, get their own number and a label in the generator.
Step 2: Set up areas
Divide the store and stockroom into areas you work through one after another: Shelf 1, Shelf 2, window display, back room. If the area is in your list, the app creates it when loading, and you pick where you are before each photo. That way nothing is counted twice, and later you can see in which area something was missing. If several people count, each person takes their own areas.
Step 3: Tidy and light the shelves
The app reads what is visible in the photo. Turn products so the barcodes face forward, and avoid glare on shrink wrap. In low light, the iPhone flashlight or an extra lamp helps.
Rule of thumb: if you can see the barcode on the screen with the naked eye, the app can read it too.
Step 4: Photograph, area by area
Load the list into the app: open the CSV file on the iPhone and choose “Scan2List” in the share sheet, or tap “Inventory” › “Start inventory” › “Load a list” in the app. The app shows you which columns it recognized.
Then pick the area you are standing in under “Scanning into” and photograph the shelf. For a long shelf, take several photos that overlap a little. Anything at the back or hidden you pick up with the live scan. If identical packs stand one behind the other and only the front one is visible, tap the item and enter the quantity. For stackable goods like cans or books, photograph from the side so every unit is visible.
Step 5: See what is missing
In the “Inventory” tab the result comes in four groups: complete, missing, different quantity and not on the list. Anything you find that is not on the list you add with “Add to the list”. “Share the result” gives you a table with expected, counted and difference for your bookkeeping or for import into your inventory system. Next time you start with “New check” and the same list from zero.
What else you should know
No specific counting method is prescribed for a year-end count. What matters is that the count is complete, traceable and properly documented. The result table from the app with date, area, codes and quantities does that just like a tally sheet on paper. For your own situation, check with your accountant.
If several people count at the same time, each person loads the same list on their iPhone and takes their own areas. The app works without internet. At the end everyone shares their result, and you combine the tables in Excel.
Ready for the next count? Download the template, prepare the list and try it on one shelf.
Keep reading: Inventory in a store or warehouse · Physical inventory count: timing and checklist · Reduce inventory shrinkage