How to do the year-end inventory count with a phone
The year-end count (annual stocktake, physical inventory) compares what is really on your shelves with what your records say. Paper sheets and retyping are the slow part and the part where errors enter. A phone that scans barcodes removes both. This guide gives the steps in order and says which kind of app does each one. We make Inventory Mobile, a counting app, and the steps work with any app of that kind.
Short answer
- You need three things: your product list in Excel or CSV, one phone per counter, and a counting app that imports the list, scans barcodes and exports the result.
- Split the stockroom into zones, give each zone to one person or one pair, and finish a zone before starting the next.
- Recount only the lines where the counted quantity differs from your records, with a second person.
- Export the result to Excel for whoever keeps your books, and correct the quantities in your system.
- Do a trial run a week before, on the phones and in the rooms you will really use.
Before count day
- Fix the date and the cut-off. Choose a time when nothing moves: after closing, or with receiving and shipping paused. Anything that arrives or leaves during the count goes to a separate, labeled area and is recorded apart.
- Get the product list out of your system. One line per product: code or barcode, name, and the quantity your records show. Excel or CSV is enough. If you have no list yet, start from the free Excel stock-count template.
- Import the list into the counting app. Each scan then shows the product name, and at the end the app can set counted against expected. Open the file first and check that long barcodes show all their digits: Excel sometimes turns them into a form like 5.9E+12, which will not match a scan.
- Split the place into zones and name them. Aisle A, cold room, shop floor, window. Label each zone and give it to one person or one pair. For items without a barcode, print labels beforehand or agree that counters find them by name.
- Tidy first. Put identical items together and mark what must not be counted: goods that belong to customers, items already sold, damaged stock waiting to be written off.
- Do a trial run. A week before, count one shelf with the real phones in the real room. You learn how many lines one person counts in an hour, which tells you how many people and hours the full count needs.
On count day
- Count zone by zone. Scan the barcode, type the quantity, save. Finish a zone completely and mark it as done (a sticker on the shelf works) before starting the next.
- Count what you see, not what should be there. If the app shows the expected quantity, ask counters to count first and look second.
- Keep counting without signal. Basements and cold rooms rarely have a connection. An app that works offline keeps the counts on the phone and syncs later.
- Add what is not on the list. Unknown items are added on the spot with a note or a photo and sorted out afterwards.
After the count
- Look at the differences. Sort by the largest difference between the counted quantity and your records. Recount those lines with a second person before you change anything.
- Export and adjust. Export the final count to Excel or CSV, give it to whoever keeps your books and correct the quantities in your system. Keep the file with the date and the names of the counters.
Which kind of app does each step
| Step | Spreadsheet | Counting app | Inventory system or point of sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold the product list | It is the list | Imports it from Excel or CSV | Already holds it |
| Scan barcodes with a phone | No | Yes | Some do: try the mobile app |
| Several people at once | By merging files | Yes, with team sync | Depends on user licenses |
| Work without signal | On one device | Yes, if the app works offline | Many need a connection: check |
| Set counted against expected | With formulas you write | Yes | Yes |
| Export for the books | Yes | Yes, to Excel or CSV | Yes |
If you already run an inventory system or a point-of-sale app, try its own count function first. If it is slow on a phone, or needs a connection you do not have in the stockroom, count with a counting app and bring the result back through Excel. For the kinds of app and examples of each, read how to choose an app to count inventory.
How Inventory Mobile does it
- List: import products from Excel or CSV, with columns matched automatically.
- Count: in Take stock, scan with the camera and type the quantity. The app keeps the quantity from your records and shows the difference, counted minus recorded.
- Team: with team sync, several people count the same inventory at once and see each other's counts. It works offline and syncs when the connection returns.
- Scanners: Bluetooth and USB scanners and Android handhelds such as Zebra and Honeywell, on Android.
- Result: export to Excel or CSV.
- Licenses: a free version with limited export and no team sync; a free one-month trial of the paid features, with no card; monthly and yearly licenses; and a one-month license with no renewal, for a short project or a single stocktake. Unlimited export, team sync and external scanners are part of the paid PRO license.
Questions people ask
Which app should I use for the year-end stock take of my business?
A counting app, unless the system you already use has a count function that works well on a phone. A counting app imports your list, scans barcodes with the camera, lets several people count at once and exports the result to Excel. Inventory Mobile, mise and Orca Scan are examples.
Can I do the year-end count with only a phone?
Yes. The camera reads barcodes and QR codes, so a small or medium count needs no other device. For long shifts, a Bluetooth scanner or an Android handheld saves time and battery.
How long does a year-end count take?
It depends on the number of lines and on how tidy the stockroom is, so measure, do not guess: in the trial run, time one person counting one shelf, multiply by the number of shelves and divide by the number of people.
Do I have to close the business during the count?
Not always, but stock must not move in the zone being counted. Many shops count after closing. Warehouses pause receiving and shipping, or count zone by zone and record movements apart.
What do I do with items that have no barcode?
Print labels before the count, find the items by name or code in the app, or count them on a short paper list and type them in at the end.
What should the final file contain?
At least the product code, the name, the counted quantity, the date and the counter. Your accountant or auditor may ask for more, such as value or location, so ask before the count, not after.
Can I pay for a counting app for one month only?
Some apps sell short licenses. Inventory Mobile has a free one-month trial of its paid features and sells a one-month license with no renewal, meant for a short project or a single stocktake.
Written by the Inventory Mobile team. Other apps are named as examples so you can compare. We have no connection with them, and features and prices change, so check each app's own site.