What’s Driving The Need For Barcode-Decoding Technology Today

It’s hard to miss that barcodes and QR codes are everywhere these days. From scanning grocery items at a self-checkout kiosk, to scanning your driver’s license at the airport, or confirming a package has reached its final destination, barcodes have become a staple in keeping businesses running accurately and quickly. Several market forces have led to the rise in barcode scanning:

• The need for speed – Santa Clara University’s Retail Management Institute published a research report in 2022 which found that 62% of people expect even orders with free shipping to arrive in less than three business days.¹ This means that each step involved – from tracking inventory in the warehouse to packing the order and shipping it – must occur at lightning speed. Accuracy cannot be sacrificed for speed; the correct items must reach the correct customers on time. 
• The labor shortage – With labor challenges continuing to plague a number of different industries, self-service technologies are helping to ease the burden. Recent data has shown that, between 2019 and 2021, grocery store registers with self-checkout technology increased by 32 percent, totaling more than half of all in-store transactions in 2021.² Customers may also perceive self-checkout to be the faster option, with some data showing a 20-second increase in wait times in checkout lanes manned by a cashier.³ Accuracy is vital in this application as well, as issues scanning items at a self-checkout kiosk can cause delays and customer frustration.
• The customer experience – As customers have come to expect quick service and are more comfortable using various technologies, options like mobile point-of-sale (POS) purchasing are on the rise. Quince Market Insights estimates the global mobile POS market to be valued at $25.9 billion today, reaching $101.4 billion by 2032 (growing at a CAGR of 16%).⁴ This option provides convenience to customers, and can offer efficiencies and cost savings to retailers.  

These are just a few examples of the broader trends driving the need for barcode scanning and decoding capabilities today. For more than 45 years, Honeywell has built powerful scan engines, imager modules and software development kits for software programmers to use in their devices. Whether it is a drone scanning barcodes in a warehouse to count inventory, a piece of equipment checking patients in for their medical appointment or a device used at a sporting arena to scan spectators’ tickets for entry, Honeywell’s technology has helped customers achieve increased productivity, lower waste and reduced repetitive reading.

Trusted expertise in barcode reading technology – SwiftDecoder™

SwiftDecoder™ is Honeywell's comprehensive software development kit (SDK) for developing and deploying vision-based software solutions to meet demanding barcode-decoding workflows across healthcare, transportation & logistics, retail, warehousing and access control. Companies across the world have integrated SwiftDecoder into their digital strategy, enabling them to develop either native or hybrid applications for camera-enabled devices and enrich them with features like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for data entry automation or Augmented Reality overlays, enhancing workers’ decision-making and productivity.

Honeywell recently released SwiftDecoder version 5.8 as part of its commitment to innovation and continual improvement, providing a series of new features and enhancements to its core capabilities. “Through customer feedback, we have been able to optimize our software to provide the accuracy, speed, compatibility and security they need to be more effective,” says Lori Haggart, General Manager of Honeywell’s Sensing and Safety Technologies business.

Highlights of the newly released SwiftDecoder version 5.8 include the following:

• Higher decoding performance for 1-D difficult-to-read barcodes and QR codes.
• Updated support for older Android and iOS versions, enabling the SDK to reach a wider range of customers. Honeywell prides itself on its reliable and prompt technical support.
• Honeywell provides continuous security monitoring to keep SwiftDecoder updated to patch any potential security vulnerabilities.
• A series of updates to network communication libraries to help mitigate potential vulnerabilities on network protocols.
• Expanded OCR passport template to read additional Chinese travel documents.

Learn more

To try SwiftDecoder and see it in action, download the free demo app, available on Apple and Google store (search for: “Honeywell Barcode Scanner”). Also available for all operating systems, Honeywell’s free trial program enables customers to try all the features SwiftDecoder offers for 60 days.

Sources:
¹www.retaildive.com/press-release/20220725-survey-62-of-shoppers-expect-their-free-shipping-orders-to-arrive-in-3-bu/
^2,3 https://csnews.com/merchandising-strategies-shift-rise-self-checkout
⁴www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/28/2657249/0/en/Mobile-PoS-Point-of-Sale-Market-Size-Worth-USD-101-426-9-million-By-2032-Quince-Market-Insights.htm

Previously Featured on Honeywell's blog.