Barcode Creation Guide for Small Businesses

A common feature of almost all products with a physical presence is that each has a unique barcode. For digital products, when a representative physical product or material such as a CD is available, the barcode of the digital product can also be seen. In addition, it is possible to create barcodes in the virtual environment with QR and similar technologies. From the consumer’s point of view, these codes may not actually mean much. But if you are a business owner and you have a large number of products, you have to create barcodes to manage stocks correctly and to move orders quickly at the cash register. We have prepared a detailed barcode creation guide for you to find answers to questions such as “How to create a barcode, where to get it?”.

What is a Barcode?

Barcode; It is the most basic tool of the system for transferring information embedded with numbers, letters and symbols encoded on it to the computer environment. Classically, it consists of lines of different thicknesses parallel to each other in a vertical way, spaces between lines and numbers.

There are also different versions according to regions and intended use. Although basically rectangular, it is also common to use square-shaped digital versions. Barcodes provide information about the country where the product is produced, the company that produces it and the product itself. For example, a barcode scanned at the grocery checkout shows the price of the product on the screen.

How to Create a Barcode?

Before starting the product barcode creation process, you need to get a company code. Then, with a barcode creation program, you can create barcodes with country code, company code and product code. You can contact software companies for the program in question. If your product range is small or if you are familiar with word processing programs such as Word, you can create barcodes yourself. However, it is much more practical to use a program in the process of creating multiple barcodes.

How to Apply for a Barcode Number?

The barcode number is determined for each type of product, not for your business or store. In other words, even if you have entered e-commerce and do not have a physical store, you may need to switch to the barcode system. But at this point, the responsibility for getting the relevant number lies with the manufacturer, not the seller. If you supply and sell products from the manufacturer, you do not need to deal with this issue. If you are looking for a small business for those who want to venture into e-commerce as a manufacturer, you should know that you will have to get a barcode anyway.

In order to apply to create a barcode number, you must first become a member of the website of the relevant institution. After signing up from the registration page, you can proceed to the membership application procedures screen. On this screen, you can make your application by clicking on the appropriate service according to the number of product types and the type of barcode number you will receive.

What are the Documents Required to Obtain a Barcode Number?

As in many registration processes, some documents are requested from you in barcode creation applications. These documents are intended to show the commercial identity of your company. In this process, you need a certificate of activity, income statement and bank receipt showing that the barcode number fee has been paid.

Certificate of Activity (Chamber Registration Certificate)

The certificate of activity, also known as the chamber registration certificate, is a document that shows in which field your business serves. Every business is legally obliged to have this document. It is also important that the certificate of activity is kept up to date in the required transactions. For this reason, the document is usually produced to be valid between certain dates.

Income Statement

The income statement shows the financial position of your business as a result of budget management. Although it shows the situation between certain dates, it is usually prepared annually. It can also be defined as a financial statement showing all the revenues of your business, the expenses incurred to obtain these revenues and the profit / loss situation.

Bank Receipt of Barcode Number Fee

You will also need to have paid the required fee to complete your application. You can make your payment through physical or online channels. In both cases, you should take the receipt of the payment and send it to the relevant institution.

What are the Advantages of Getting a Barcode Number?

The company prefix you will have after the application evaluation process is completed is not sufficient to generate a barcode number. In order to generate a barcode number, you must obtain a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) for each product type. You can benefit from the barcode numbers you receive in many different ways. Some of the benefits of these numbers are as follows:

You can get detailed and accurate information about the products.

Since there will be a specific number for each type of product, you will not experience any confusion between similar products.

You can enter and transfer data in a fast and error-free manner.

You can easily see which product, on which dates, how many units you have sold.

You can monitor your stock status and follow the decreasing products.

You can facilitate warehouse and store management processes.

In order to achieve these benefits of the system, you need software that can work efficiently. Thanks to the software, you can match the product information and barcode number in the computer environment.