Overview
In this article, we outline how to best implement barcoding in your organization to take advantage of all the features of Upright Lister and the companion app Upright Link.
Barcodes and barcode scanning are used in multiple steps in Lister and Link to boost productivity and reduce errors. From manifesting at stores and sending products to e-commerce to be processed, photographed, listed, inventoried, and shipped, barcoding is central to optimizing your workflow.
Each section of this guide gives a brief overview of each workflow step along with the associated tool in Lister and Link in the following format:
Feature Overview: A high-level summary of how the feature works and connects to other areas of the product workflow
Key Features: A list of benefits of using the feature to complement your workflow
Equipment: Required and recommended equipment to maximize the benefits of the feature
How To Use: Quick start introduction to using the feature
Additional Resources: Links to more in-depth help articles on using the feature
Following these processes will increase efficiencies in product throughput, provide greater feedback to stores, and generate stronger metrics for your stakeholders.
Need a little inspiration? Check out our case studies to see how these features have helped increase revenue for our clients!
Table of Contents
Manifesting
We'll start with store manifesting. Ideally, stores create manifests at their location before transferring products to your e-commerce processing center.
A Manifest is a digital record of items from each of your suppliers/stores that are sent to e-commerce to sell online. Each manifest represents one container of goods and is the starting point for the Lister product lifecycle. Most importantly, manifesting provides accountability, tracking, and store feedback to improve your online sales.
Key Features
Transparency: Manifests allow stores to see the complete life cycle of their products. Using the downloadable All Manifest Items report and the in-app Suppliers report, store leadership teams have complete visibility on who accepted or rejected each item, if the item has been listed, if it sold, and how much it sold for
Feedback: The manifests page has customized recommendations on the best products to send to e-commerce and what to avoid sending
Efficiency: Manifests streamline the intake and processing of products, allowing e-commerce teams to list larger volumes of products
Loss prevention: Manifests provide a complete list of items sent from stores to e-commerce to quickly identify any items that didn't arrive for processing
Equipment
One internet-connected computer, laptop, or tablet per store
One regular office printer to print out 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper with manifest details
Optional: One label printer per store as an alternative to a regular office printer to print out manifest barcodes instead of printing 8.5 x 11 manifest sheets
Note: If using this option, Lister Connect will need to be installed on the store computer
How to Use
As a store prepares to send a container of products to e-commerce, they quickly enter a brief description of each item on a manifest created within Lister.
Click the clipboard icon in the top right navigation menu of Lister to go to the Manifests page
Click the blue "Add manifest" button
Describe the item being sent to e-commerce and hit the enter key on the keyboard (or click the blue "Add Product" button)
Continue adding items to the manifest until the container for the products is full
Optional: Add any notes about the items you want to share with the e-commerce processing team
Click the green "Save manifest" button
Click the "Print Sheet" button at the top of the manifest to print a copy of the manifest to a standard office printer, then fold and attach the printed manifest to the outside of the container
💡Operational Tip: Create one manifest for each container of products to help speed up processing time.
Sending multiple similar items? Put it as one line item like "4 purses. The e-commerce processing team will divide the line item into as many products as needed!
The printed manifest is a standard 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper that displays a list of the items in the container with a barcode for the entire manifest at the top right of the page. This barcode is then used during the transportation and processing of items. We recommend keeping this barcode visible outside the container for easy scanning by the transportation and e-commerce processing teams.
Example Printed Manifest:
💡Operational Tip: Barcode label printers are not required for store teams but can be used for stores that want to label the outside of a bin or tote without revealing the contents inside it.
What to do if Stores Can't Manifest
Certain organizations may be unable to manifest at the store level due to technical limitations (for example, no internet access), staffing issues, or smaller operations with only one source of online products. In these scenarios, the e-commerce team has four options for barcoding products.
Option 1: Replicate Store Manifesting
This option entails cataloging all items in a container sent from the store and then accepting and rejecting each item accordingly. This option is excellent from a data integrity perspective as it will log all items sent and give stores feedback on what was or was not acceptable for e-commerce. That said, this option can be very time-consuming and may be unattainable for your team.
Option 2: Manifest only Accepted Items (recommended)
In this option, processors only add the items they are accepting to manifests, bulk accept them, and print the barcodes. This is our recommended option for replicating store manifests as it is more efficient than option 1 and still gives stores some data on what types of items they should send.
Option 3: Bulk Barcode Generation Via Manifests
This option may be suitable if the e-commerce team is really strapped for time and needs to simply get barcodes on products as quickly as possible. Generate up to 100 product barcodes in under 30 seconds using the method outlined below:
Navigate to the Manifests page and click the blue "Add manifest" button
Select the appropriate supplier
Enter a generic name for the item, like "product" or "item" and click the blue "Add Product" button (or hit enter on your keyboard)
Click the green "Save manifest" button
Select the checkbox next to the item
Click "Divide" and set the number of items you're accepting, then click "Save"
Click the top checkbox to select all items, then click "Accept"
Click the top checkbox to select all items, then click "Print barcodes"
Option 4: Generate Barcodes Without Manifests
Finally, this option may be a good fit for smaller 1-3 person teams who work out of a single location with both an e-commerce processing area and a physical retail floor.
💡 Operational Tip: Using this method skips the Manifesting and Processing steps, allowing you to go straight to photographing and listing your items, but removes the ability to track how many accepted/rejected items you have.
Navigate to the Products Page in Lister
Click the "Generate Barcodes" Button
Enter the number of items you are processing to sell online
Optionally add a prefix to the printed SKU
Optionally click the check box for "Create draft products" (recommended)
Click the blue "Print" button
💡Operational Tip: We recommend clicking the checkbox to create a draft product when you know the items will be listed online, making it quicker to photograph the product in Link.
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about manifest processing!
Transporting Manifests From Stores to E-Commerce
Depending on the size of your organization, you may find store teams, transportation teams, and loss prevention teams need a quick and easy way to communicate the status of e-commerce transfer to each other, and as a corollary, your e-commerce team may need an easy way to notify these departments once a transfer of products has been received before they are processed.
With Manifest Tracking, all of the above is easy to do within Lister and Link!
Key Features
Transparency: Stores, transportation teams, and e-commerce know exactly when a manifest is being transported and the current shipment status
Efficiency: Transportation teams see when manifests are ready to be picked up, helping them plan routes more effectively. E-commerce teams see exactly how many manifests and products are inbound, allowing them to allocate appropriate resources to processing
Loss Prevention: Manifest Tracking enhances the chain of custody during the transportation process. Each time a manifest changes hands, its status is updated and verified. Digital logs are recorded with the datestamps and user information each time a manifest status is updated
Equipment
Stores: Use the same laptop or computer used to generate the manifest
Drivers: Either access to the store's internet-connected computer or an iOS 13 or later internet-connected Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed
eCommerce Processing: Either an iOS 13 or later internet-connected Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed to mark the manifest received or a tablet/desktop/laptop computer and barcode scanner (this can be the same computer used to process manifests)
How to Use
The printed barcode at the top of the manifest sheet (shown above) is used to update the shipping status of the manifest, providing up-to-date information on the status of each manifest.
Store Team: Once a store has finished creating a manifest, they update the status from "Created" to "Ready for Pickup"
Transportation Team: When the transportation team takes possession of the manifest, they scan the printed manifest barcode in Link or via Lister to change the status to "In Transit"
As an alternative to using Link, drivers can log into Lister to mark the manifest in transit:
E-Commerce Processing Team: After the shipment has been delivered, the e-commerce team then updates the status to "Received" via Link or Lister
Receive Manifests via Link: Tap "Receive manifests" on the dashboard, then tap the scan icon and scan the manifest barcode
Update Manifest Status via Lister: As an alternative to using Link, scan the manifest barcode in Lister, then click the "Mark received" button
💡Operational Tip: If the manifest container can't be accounted for at any point in the journey, it is marked as "Missing" for further investigation by a loss prevention team.
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about Manifest Tracking!
Processing Manifests
Once the processing team receives the container of products, they open it and scan the manifest barcode at the top of the printed manifest. This displays an itemized list of everything in the container within Lister ready for processing.
Key Features
Transparency: Stores see exactly when a manifest is processed, along with detailed reports on their accepted/rejected rate and revenue from online sales
Feedback: Any rejected item on a manifest shows the reason it wasn't fit for online sale
Efficiency: A dedicated processing team focuses on item evaluation and authentication without having to switch tasks to other areas of e-commerce
Loss Prevention: Each item within a manifest is verified, and the event logs within the manifest show a history of who interacted with the merchandise
Equipment
An internet-connected desktop or laptop computer with Lister Connect installed
1D or 2D Barcode Scanner
A label printer to print individual product SKUs from each manifest
Utility carts to move accepted products to photography stations
How to Use
Processes scan the manifest barcode into Lister to pull up the details of the container
If an item is rejected or placed on hold, a reason is given to provide valuable feedback for the store
Print unique product SKU barcodes for each accepted item. Attach the printed 1" x3" barcode on the corresponding items, then move the items to photography stations
💡Operational Tip: Use blue painter's tape to attach printed product barcodes to items. This helps prevent damage to fragile items and saves steps at the packing step when items are shipped.
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about processing manifests!
Product Photography
From processing, items are moved to photography stations to be photographed for online listing. Photographs are added products in one of two ways:
Photography in Link (Recommended): The Link app has a built-in photo editor and always assigns the right pictures to each barcoded item
Uploading Photographs via Lister: Uses a traditional digital camera and desktop/laptop computer, but may be more prone to human error in uploading pictures to the wrong product
Photography in Link (Recommended)
Link streamlines the process of adding high-quality, eye-catching pictures with an iOS device, with no downtime compared to traditional digital camera editing that requires dedicated computers and work slowdowns as photos are exported, edited, and imported to your listings.
💡Operational Tip: If your photographer is the same person listing products, encourage them to batch their work. Take pictures of all items on a cart before moving on to listing them.
Key Features
Transparency: Photography actions are tracked in Lister's reports
Efficiency: Photography in Link requires only an iOS device, a clean background, and good-quality lighting. Photo editing tools are part of Link, so no desktop computer or expensive third-party photo editing software is needed
Equipment
Non-jewelry photography:
One iPod Touch 7 (7th Gen) or newer Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed per photography station.
Note: The more recent the iOS device, the better quality pictures it will be able to take
Photography lightboxes for professional-looking listing pictures
Jewelry photography:
One iPhone 8 or newer Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed per photography station
Note: Devices with optical and digital zoom capabilities will provide the best quality pictures
Jewelry displays to showcase high-value precious metals and stones
Photography lightboxes for professional-looking listing pictures
Optional: A ring barcode scanner to speed up scanning barcodes
How to Use
Tap the scan icon on Link's dashboard to scan the product barcode
Tap "Photograph" on the product details screen
Take and edit pictures
Tap "Save" to upload the pictures to the product. From there, the product is ready to be listed!
Uploading Photographs in Lister
Pictures can be added to listings directly, but this is generally not a best practice, as it requires additional (and sometimes expensive) cameras and more time to complete due to extra steps.
Key Features
Redundancy: If an iOS device is unavailable, pictures can still be added via Lister
Efficiency: Larger photo editing screen than an iPad or iPhone screen
Equipment
A desktop or laptop computer with a good quality monitor for photo editing (minimum 1080p resolution)
Optional: A monitor color calibration tool to ensure pictures are a true color match when editing
DSLR or point-and-shoot digital camera
Jewelry displays to showcase high-value precious metals and stones
How to Use
Photograph the product with a traditional digital camera (point and shoot or DSLR) and download the images onto your computer
Navigate to the Products page in Lister and scan the product SKU into the search bar
Click the draft product in the search results to open the Product Drawer
Click "Edit" to open the draft product
Drag and drop or click to upload the pictures from your computer
Click the pencil icon under a picture to open the photo editor. From here, you can crop and adjust the picture as needed
Click the rotate icon to rotate a picture 90 degrees
Click and drag pictures to rearrange the order
Click the X icon above an image if you wish to delete the picture
Click the blue "Save" button once done
Note: Unlike photography in Link, this workflow does not automatically connect the product barcode to the pictures as they are taken. This can cause user errors if the wrong item's pictures are imported to the listing during step 5 (for example, two similar-looking handbags have their pictures swapped, leading to misinformation in the marketplace listing).
💡Operational Tip: Lister is 100% compatible with Hammoq's Conveyor System to import pictures and product notes to your listings automatically! Click here to learn more!
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about Photography in Lister and Link!
Listing Products Online
Once pictures are taken in Link, a lister is ready to create the marketplace listing and input the item details.
Key Features
Transparency: Track listing productivity and sold items via reports in Lister
Efficiency: Combined with Builder Templates and Listing Strategies, listing speeds are increased, errors are reduced, and time is saved in automating relisting unsold items
Loss Prevention: Listrer tracks who created a listing and any additional edit actions made by other users
Equipment
A desktop or laptop computer
A 1D or 2D barcode scanner
Optional: A USB scale to weigh items (recommended)
Note: If using this option, Lister Connect will need to be installed on the workstation computer
How to Use
Scan the product SKU barcode into the search bar on the Draft Products page
Click the green "List" button to add listing details
Select the category that matches the product and optionally change the Listing Strategy, then click the green "Next" button
Fill out the product template and click "Preview"
Verify and finalize listing details, then click "Save"
💡Operational Tip: If you connect a USB digital Scale to Lister Connect, you can click a single button to import item weights. Click here to learn more!
New Product vs. Manifested Product Warning
It is important to note that the top ribbon of each page in Lister has the "New Product" button. In addition, the Products page has an "Add product" and "Add draft product" buttons. Using these to create a listing does not tie the product to a manifest and may create reporting issues and a backlog of draft products.
If your organization manifests all items, be sure to train teammates not to use these buttons when listing items.
💡Operational Tip: Manifesting every item and listing from draft Products is the ideal workflow and helps generate stronger productivity reports than listing a new product without the manifesting step.
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about listing!
Storing Products in Inventory
After the listing details have been added, the item is ready to be stored in inventory using the Reshelf feature. Here, the product SKU barcode is used once again to scan items into inventory locations. Scanning items onto inventory shelves is the best way to prevent misplaced items and ensure a more streamlined order fulfillment process.
To utilize inventory putaway features, all inventory locations need an inventory barcode label.
💡Operational Tip: Optimize your inventory layout to prevent unnecessary backtracking by organizing your racks using unit-based locations instead of row-based locations!
Check out our blog post on warehouse layouts for more details!
Reshelf in Link (Recommended)
Reshelf in Link is our recommended workflow for storing inventory for fast and accurate inventory management. Using Link only requires an iOS device and an optional (but recommended) Bluetooth barcode scanner to verify items are correctly stored.
Key Features
Transparency: All Inventory actions are tracked in Lister. Track team efficacy in Productivity Reports and track product location changes in Event Logs
Efficiency: Quickly and easily scan one or multiple products into one inventory location
Loss Prevention: Lister maintains a complete history of who moved inventory items via Reshelf and previous locations where items were stored
Equipment
iOS 13 or later Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed
Neck lanyard or wrist holder (optional) for hands-free operation of iOS device
Ring scanner (recommended) for easier and more efficient scanning
How to Use
Tap "Reshelf" in Link
Tap the scan icon to open the device camera and scan all products to be added to an individual inventory location
Once all product barcodes have been scanned, scan the inventory location barcode to assign the products to that location
A confirmation page in Link will show once the inventory location barcode is scanned, verifying the items were stored in the location
💡Operational Tip: As each item is scanned in Link, you'll see the main photo, title, and current product status. This helps catch any product accidentally moved to inventory without being photographed or listed!
Quick Reshelf Using Lister
Products may be updated using Lister as a redundant backup to using Link, but this is generally not recommended, as it requires using a tablet or laptop in inventory areas and may not be ideal if space is limited on inventory carts. In addition, Quick Reshelf in Lister does not show images of each item as they are scanned, title, or the current Product status.
Key Features
Redundancy: A backup alternative to using Link to store items in inventory if iOS devices are all in use or charging
Loss Prevention: All Quick Reshelf inventory actions are tracked in Lister
Equipment
An internet-connected Laptop or tablet
1D or 2D barcode scanner
How to Use
Navigate to the Products page in Lister
Click "More actions" and select "Quick Reshelf" in the dropdown menu
Scan the product SKU barcodes into the popup box
Select or scan or select the inventory location
Click the blue "Reshelf" button
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about Reshelf and Inventory Management!
Picking Orders
After a buyer pays for their order, our Digital Picking feature ensures you always grab the correct items off your shelf by incorporating barcode scanning. In addition to Digital Picking (our recommended workflow), Pack Slips can be printed to manually search for items, but this method is prone to human error in picking the wrong products.
Digital Picking in Link (Recommended)
Digital Picking in Link is our recommended workflow for boosting productivity and eliminating errors in picking the wrong item. Pickers are assigned products in Link and are guided through inventory in the most efficient way to your inventory layout.
Key Features
Transparency: Every picking action in Link is tracked in Lister. The in-app User Productivity report tracks how many items are picked by each teammate
Efficiency: Set up Picking Profiles in Lister to match your operational processes around order fulfillment. Link automatically guides users to the next item based on your warehouse layout, reducing backtracking and unnecessary steps. Up to 150 products can be assigned to a picker per batch, and no pickers will be assigned the same order to pull at the same time
Loss Prevention: Never pick the wrong item for an order by scanning the barcode to verify the item. In the event a product isn't found by pickers, it is marked "Not Found" for investigation by management/loss prevention
Equipment
iOS 13 or later Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed
Ring scanner (recommended) for easier and more efficient scanning
How to Use
Tap "Pick Orders" on the Link dashboard
Select the types of orders to pick based on your Picking Profiles
Select how many items will be picked, then tap "Start picking"
Navigate to the inventory location shown in Link
Scan the product barcode, then repeat steps 4 and 5 until all items are picked
💡Operational Tip: Not enough space on the cart to fit an item? Tap "Skip item" at the bottom of the screen so it can be picked later!
Can't find an item in inventory? Tap "Actions" then tap "Mark not found" to tag the item as missing for investigation by a team leader!
Printed Pack Slips in Lister
As a backup alternative to using Digital Picking, printed pack slips with item pictures, names, SKUs, and locations can be printed In Lister. Unlike Digital Picking, this method does not optimize your team's picking workflow, track who picked the items, or use barcode scanning to verify the correct item was picked. For these reasons, if picking orders via printed pack slips, we highly recommend using Pack Mode (described below) to ensure the correct items are shipped to buyers.
Key Features
Redundancy: Use as a backup method to picking orders if Digital Picking is not an option
Efficiency: Printed pack slips show the main product picture, title, SKU, and location
Customizable: Create a customized pack slip footer for buyers (for example, instructions on starting a return, or info on your organization)
Equipment
A desktop or laptop computer (typically the same one used for packing and shipping)
A regular office printer to print out 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper with pack slip details
How to Use
Navigate to the "Ready to fulfill" tab of the Orders Manager
Click "More filters"
Select the "Not started" checkbox under the Pick and Pack status heading
Select all the orders that need to be picked and click the "Actions" menu
Click "Print pack slips" in the dropdown menu
Select what details to include in the printed pack slips
Select the sort order for how pack slips will be printed
Click the blue "Print pack slips" button
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about picking orders!
Packing Orders
Pack Mode ensures that the right products go to the right buyers. Once again, the product barcode is used to track productivity and verify the correct item is packed into each order.
Key Features
Transparency: Lister tracks who packed each order, showing overall productivity in the User and Operational Productivity reports
Efficiency: Use barcode scanners to verify items and select shipping boxes
Loss Prevention: Never ship the wrong item or miss an item in a shipment - Pack Mode prevents the wrong item from being added to a shipping box and tracks if an item is manually skipped from being included in a package
Equipment
1 laptop or desktop computer per packing workstation
1 barcode scanner (1D or 2D) per workstation
Optional: 1 label printer per workstation to reprint SKUs
Note: If using this option, the workstation computer will need Lister Connect installed
Optional: 1 regular office printer per workstation to print out 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper with Pack Slip details
How to Use
Scan a product barcode, pack slip, or type in an order number into the Orders Manager to open Pack Mode. From there:
Scan the product barcode as they are being packed into the shipping box(es)
Scan the shipping box barcode using the Pack Mode printed Scan Sheet (Example Below) to select a shipping box, or use the dropdown menu
Scan the "Confirm" barcode on the scan sheet, or click the green "Confirm order" button
💡Operational Tip: Pack Mode will reject an item if the product barcode is not part of the order, ensuring that the right products are being sent to buyers, and is especially handy for multi-item orders!
Example Pack Mode Scan Sheet:
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about Pack Mode!
Shipping Orders
After an order has been packed to be shipped, barcoding helps ensure the right package is heading to the right customer and continues building a productivity report for the core functions within your organization.
Key Features
Transparency: Track how many orders are shipped by each user. Use reports in Lister to track your buyer-paid shipping and handling vs. actual shipping costs
Efficiency: No need for 3rd party shipping software - ship directly within Lister and save time in fulfilling orders
Loss Prevention: Automatically assign shipping insurance and signature confirmation on high-value orders
Equipment
1 laptop or desktop computer per workstation with Lister Connect installed
1 label printer per workstation
1 barcode scanner (1D or 2D) per workstation
1 USB package scale per workstation
How to Use
Depending on the team size and order fulfillment workspace, there are two workflows when shipping orders:
All-In-One Packing and Shipping Workstation: Ideal for smaller teams where one person is responsible for packing and shipping each order
Separate Packing and Shipping Workstations: Perfect for larger teams that need to divide labor further to increase productivity
The following sections describe how each of these workflows operates.
All-in-One Packing and Shipping Workstation
For smaller organizations, your order fulfillment workflow might involve one person packing and shipping an order. If your operation packs and ships at the same station, we recommend enabling our feature that requires packing before shipping.
Admin Settings
Follow the steps below to combine shipping and packing into one workflow in Lister:
Click the gear icon in the top right navigation menu to go to the Admin settings page
Click "Shipping" in the left navigation menu
Toggle ON the option for "Require packing before shipping"
Toggle ON the option for "Auto-select packer"
Click the blue "Save" button at the bottom of the page
All-in-One Packing and Shipping Workflow
Click "New Shipment"
Scan a product barcode in the order or the order pack slip barcode to begin either verifying the items in the order via Pack Mode or creating the shipping label
Review the package and order information
Purchase and print a shipping label, apply to the box, then repeat steps 3-5 until all orders are shipped!
💡Operational Tip: If the product barcode SKU is scanned for single-item orders, the Pack Mode page is skipped, as the product barcode is verified with the barcode scan. If the packing slip barcode is scanned, the Pack Mode page will come up to verify the item SKU.
Multi-item orders always use Pack Mode to verify the correct items are packed in the shipment.
Separate Packing and Shipping Workstations
For larger organizations, your order fulfillment workflow might involve one person packing and another person shipping an order.
Admin Settings
Follow the steps below to separate the shipping and packing workflow in Lister:
Click the gear icon in the top right navigation menu to go to the Admin settings page
Click "Shipping" in the left navigation menu
Toggle OFF the option for "Require packing before shipping"
Click the blue "Save" button at the bottom of the page
Packer Workflow
Click the shopping cart icon in the top right navigation menu of Lister to navigate to the Orders page
Click "Pack Orders"
Scan a product barcode from the order
Scan any other product barcodes that are part of the order
Scan a box size from the packing control sheet (example below), or manually select the box from the dropdown
Attach either one of the product barcodes or a printed pack slip to the outside of the shipping box
Pack Mode has multiple ways to print barcodes or pack slips: Reprint a product SKU via the product description, print a pack slip via the blue "Print pack slip" button, or scan the "Print pack slip" barcode on the packing control sheet (example below)
Scan the "Confirm" barcode from the packing control sheet (example below), or click the green "Confirm order" button and return to step 3 to begin packing the next order
Packing Controls Scan Sheet:
Shipper Workflow
Click "New Shipment"
Scan a product barcode in the order or the order pack slip barcode to begin creating the shipping label
Review the package and order information
Purchase and print a shipping label, apply to the box, then repeat steps 3-5 until all orders are shipped!
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about shipping orders in Lister!
Purging Unsold Products
If a Product reaches the end of a Listing Strategy and doesn't sell, it should be purged from inventory to make room for new items. Outdated (unsold and recycled) inventory is identified, tracked, and removed from inventory using Link (our recommendation) or via Lister.
Purged products may be returned to team leaders to determine why they didn't sell or simply move to the next step in your organization's product lifecycle (for example, group into a lot of similar items to sell online, sent to retail stores/outlet/table sales, or salvaged).
Purging in Link (Recommended)
Purging in Link is the recommended workflow for removing unsold inventory, as it requires the correct item's barcode to be scanned before it is purged. The Purge tool in Link guides teammates to each item in inventory that is ready to be purged. Link will not allow a user to purge the wrong product.
Key Features
Transparency: Track teammate productivity via reports. All purged actions are maintained in the Event Logs report.
Efficiency: Link guides teammates through inventory in the most efficient route to prevent backtracking
Loss Prevention: Prevents accidental shrinkage by ensuring the correct product barcode is scanned
Equipment
iOS 13 or later internet-connected Apple device (supported device list) with the Link app installed
Recommended: Ring Bluetooth barcode scanner to speed up workflow and iOS wrist holder for hands-free operation
How to Use
Tap "Purge" on the Link dashboard
Select your desired inventory location purging order (A-Z or Z-A), and/or select specific locations, then tap "start purging"
Navigate to the indicated inventory location and find the item
Tap the scan icon and scan the product SKU (or use a ring scanner). Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all items are purged
Purging in Lister
Purging may also be done within Lister with printed lists of purgeable items as a backup to Link, but it does not have the benefit of verifying the correct item is removed from inventory using barcode scanning.
This method is not recommended, as it requires printing purge lists and does not include a barcode verification scan to remove the correct item from inventory.
Key Features
Redundancy: Useful alternative/backup process if all other inventory-dedicated iOS devices are currently being charged or used for product putaway or picking orders
Efficiency: Can pre-print purge lists and assign workload to teammates. Target specific products to purge using Product filters
Equipment
A regular office printer to print out 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper with purge list details
How to Use
Navigate to the Products>Recycled page
Select the checkboxes next to the items that will be purged
Click "Print purge list" from the Actions menu
Choose options for purge list printout
Print the purge list and provide to team members to pull items from inventory
Example Printed Purge List:
Click the "Bulk purge" from the Actions menu
Confirm purge. Caution: This action cannot be undone!
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about purging unsold inventory!
Barcoding and Productivity Reports
Each of the above workflow steps is tracked and recorded in Lister as team members interact with products. These steps are recorded in the User Productivity report and the Operational Productivity report, which give you a high-level overview of your operation and help identify top performers and opportunities for development. In addition, the Manifest report tracks trends in total items sent, acceptance and rejection rates, and many other valuable metrics to gauge supplier health.
Key Features
Transparency: Gauge team performance over any date range and identify top performers and areas where additional training may be needed. Identify trends in supplier manifests
Efficiency: Compare productivity during A/B testing of new workflows
Equipment
A computer or laptop
A spreadsheet program like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to open downloaded reports
How to Use
Click the reports icon in the top right corner of Lister
Select the desired report from the left navigation menu
User Productivity
The User Productivity report is a breakdown of each teammate's actions within a given time frame.
Clicking on a teammate will open up the Operational Productivity report filtered to show that teammate's productivity
Inactive users can be hidden to reduce unnecessary clutter
Click column headers to sort in ascending or descending order
Operational Productivity
A high-level view of productivity in each part of the operation that can be grouped by hour, day, week, month, and more. Toggle on or off specific events in the chart to only display data relevant to your needs.
Poster Overview
The Poster Overview report shows high-level details of new listings created by each teammate. View the number of listings created per teammate compared to a set goal.
Set target postings per hour and daily worked hours with the (x) icon at the top of the page. Note: Poster targets are set as the same goal across all teammates
💡Operational Tip: When setting daily hours, exclude any hours set aside for paid breaks or other non-listing hours. For example, if your team works 8 hours a day, but has two 10-minute paid breaks, a 5-minute morning meeting, and a 5-minute workstation reset/cleanup at the end of the day, set the daily hours to 7.5.
Manifests
Four reports visualized on one page of Manifest activity within a given date range.
Manifest Acceptance/Rejection Rate: Chart of all manifest item statuses, acceptance rate, revenue generated, and sell thru rate
Manifests by Supplier: Bar chart of how many total manifests were created per supplier
Manifests by User: Total number of manifests and quantity of manifested items per teammate
Manifest Items by Day: Historical chart plotting how many manifest items were created each day
Additional Resources
Click the links below to learn more about reports in Lister!
Related Guides
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