Warehouses serve as critical hubs in the supply chain. They enable the movement of goods between manufacturers, retailers, and end customers. As such, maintaining inventory accuracy isn’t just a best practice—it’s a business imperative. Errors in inventory tracking can trigger downstream consequences like delayed shipments, incorrect order fulfillment, and customer dissatisfaction.
Warehouses typically handle thousands of SKUs, each with different turnover rates, storage requirements, and fulfillment destinations. Without a reliable counting system in place, discrepancies can quickly snowball into broader inefficiencies that impact warehouse labor, space utilization, and financial performance.
Many warehouses rely on periodic cycle counts and spot checks to monitor inventory levels. But when those practices are handled inconsistently—or worse, delayed—warehouse managers are left with outdated data. Full-service inventory counting addresses these gaps with structured, professional solutions that help improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden, and support smarter supply chain decisions.
Accurate inventory also enables better space optimization. When items are tracked correctly and stored according to current needs, picking and restocking operations become more efficient, reducing congestion in aisles and staging areas.
Inventory miscounts don’t just create internal frustration — they create real-world friction. A missing pallet means a delayed shipment. A mismatch between paper and product means lost time, lost money, and sometimes, lost customers. When warehouse inventory accuracy affects every downstream decision, full-service inventory counts become more than a convenience — they become a necessity.
Partnering with a provider like Datascan brings more to the table than scanning devices and data sheets. It adds structure, professionalism, and outside clarity to a process that often falls victim to internal blind spots. Whether your warehouse runs in shifts, zones, or controlled environments, a third-party count brings confidence to your inventory numbers — not guesswork.
Purpose-Built for Accuracy
Warehouses aren’t spreadsheets. They’re dynamic, multi-temperature, multi-format environments with product constantly on the move. Datascan’s teams are trained to navigate real-world complexity. Their process is designed for density, not simplicity — high SKU counts, unpredictable layouts, and environments where detail matters. With high-performance scanners and validation protocols, they deliver accuracy that scales.
Speed with Structure
Full counts don’t have to mean shutdowns. Experienced providers like Datascan work around your operations with shift scheduling, count mapping, and precision planning that allows you to keep fulfilling orders while the count happens. The result? No idle teams. No overnight surprises. Just speed that’s mapped to your business reality.
Real-Time Visibility
Integrated reporting dashboards offer live count updates and immediate alerts. No more waiting for a final report to learn something went wrong. You get the data as it’s gathered, with discrepancies flagged in real time. That means faster decisions and faster corrections.
Audit-Ready at Every Stage
Warehouses that operate under FDA, ISO, or GMP guidelines can’t afford uncertainty. Verified counts from a neutral provider help meet regulatory standards, internal audit requirements, and supply chain traceability goals — with documentation that speaks for itself.
Programs That Flex to Your Needs
Some clients want full physical counts every quarter. Others need weekly cycle counts in a single zone. Some want high-value SKUs counted nightly. Datascan doesn’t deliver templates. They build count programs around your workflow, not the other way around.
Unobtrusive, Even at 2AM
Night shift. Weekend shift. Partial shift. Datascan builds inventory schedules that live within your rhythm. Whether you run 24/7 or operate in tight windows, the team fits in — not around — your ops. That’s the difference between being efficient and being in the way.
Step 1: Evaluate Inventory Gaps
Warehouse managers should start by reviewing recent variance reports, shrinkage data, and fulfillment errors to pinpoint where current inventory practices are falling short. Common signals include recurring backorders, excess carrying costs, or unfulfilled picks.
Step 2: Choose a Specialized Provider
Select a provider experienced in warehouse inventory environments. Datascan, for example, brings a proven process that accounts for high-volume items, zone-based storage strategies, and complex SKU configurations.
Step 3: Align Scope and Schedule
Work with the provider to define the scope of service—whether that includes full physical counts, random cycle audits, or count-to-ship reconciliations. Schedule counts during non-peak shifts, slow seasons, or during planned maintenance to minimize disruption.
Step 4: Configure System Integration
Ensure the provider’s data tools can connect with your existing WMS or ERP system. Real-time updates reduce delays between data collection and decision-making, while also minimizing manual data entry.
Step 5: Train On-Site Coordinators
Assign a warehouse point person to liaise with the external count team. This ensures proper location access, safe equipment movement, and swift resolution of any location-specific challenges.
Step 6: Conduct a Pilot or Trial Count
Before a full rollout, many warehouses choose to test full-service counts in one area, such as a high-velocity picking zone or return processing area. This helps validate protocols and build internal confidence.
Step 7: Review and Refine
After the count, walk through variances, identify root causes, and compare results against historical performance. Use these findings to inform ongoing improvements in labeling, slotting, picking, or vendor receiving.
Step 8: Develop a Long-Term Strategy
A one-time count provides a snapshot, but ongoing cycle counts and performance tracking ensure inventory accuracy is sustained. Work with your provider to build a cadence that fits your operational tempo.
Reduced Shrinkage
With professional counts, discrepancies are caught early, before they impact order fulfillment or require inventory write-offs. Warehouses that implement regular full-service counts often report shrink reduction within the first quarter.
Improved Labor Allocation
Warehouse associates no longer need to be pulled from their primary duties to conduct inventory. This helps maintain focus on core warehouse activities—receiving, staging, picking, and loading—while inventory is handled in parallel.
Higher Order Accuracy
Better inventory visibility leads to improved picking and packing accuracy. With fewer mispicks, warehouses save time on reverse logistics and minimize customer complaints.
Faster Fulfillment
When inventory locations are properly reconciled and updated, orders flow more smoothly through the system. Faster fulfillment leads to better customer satisfaction and higher service-level attainment.
Data-Driven Replenishment
Warehouses gain confidence in reorder points, lead time buffers, and vendor performance. Accurate counts mean inventory managers can order based on real need rather than approximations.
Inventory Turn Optimization
Real-time reporting and analysis help identify slow-moving inventory and dead stock. These insights guide markdown strategies, promotions, or stock consolidation plans.
Stronger Supplier Relationships
Professional counts help warehouse teams reconcile vendor shipments more precisely, reducing invoice disputes and improving trust with supply partners.
Improved Physical Organization
With clean, accurate data, warehouse layouts can be adjusted to improve picking efficiency and reduce travel time. Stock can be slotted more logically based on movement data.
More Confident Decision-Making
When inventory data is trustworthy, warehouse managers can plan staffing, equipment needs, and shipping volumes with greater certainty. This clarity reduces reactive decision-making and improves long-term planning.
Third-Party Logistics Firm Reduces Write-Offs by 30%
A national 3PL provider implemented Datascan’s quarterly full-service warehouse counts across four major distribution centers. Within six months, write-offs due to inventory discrepancies dropped by 30%, and order accuracy rates improved across key accounts.
Apparel Brand Streamlines Returns and Cross-Docking
An e-commerce apparel company used Datascan’s inventory support to reconcile returns and seasonal cross-docked inventory. Full-service counts helped the brand increase location accuracy and speed-to-shelf for time-sensitive promotions.
Medical Supply Distributor Gains Confidence in Compliance
A healthcare logistics company with temperature-sensitive and lot-controlled inventory adopted full-service physical counts to meet FDA audit requirements. Datascan’s traceable data reporting improved audit outcomes and reduced compliance risk.
Consumer Goods Manufacturer Improves Forecasting
A CPG manufacturer used Datascan to conduct monthly cycle counts in three regional warehouses. With greater visibility into real-time inventory levels, the company refined production planning and reduced backorders by 22%.
Food Distributor Reduces Spoilage Waste
A regional food distributor partnered with Datascan to conduct biweekly counts of perishable inventory zones. By identifying slow-turn items earlier, the distributor reduced spoilage waste by 16% and improved product rotation across refrigerated areas.
Datascan’s warehouse inventory programs are designed for flexibility, speed, and accuracy. We recognize the complexities of modern warehouse environments and offer service models that can scale from single facilities to enterprise-level networks.
Our capabilities include:
Each engagement includes a dedicated project manager, detailed implementation plans, and collaborative review processes to ensure the inventory program continues to evolve with the needs of your operation.
Warehouses are more than storage spaces—they’re central to delivering speed, accuracy, and responsiveness in today’s supply chain. With rising customer expectations, tighter delivery windows, and complex product assortments, there’s no room for uncertainty in inventory data.
Full-service inventory counting allows warehouses to:
Whether your facility is focused on B2B distribution, retail fulfillment, or direct-to-consumer delivery, having complete control over your inventory positions you for growth and resilience.
Unreliable inventory data can stall even the most sophisticated warehouse operations. Datascan’s full-service inventory counting solutions give you the accuracy, visibility, and strategic insight needed to run a leaner, faster, more agile facility.
From physical counts to cycle audits and compliance reporting, our team helps you strengthen performance across the board.
Let’s build a smarter, more reliable inventory system together. Contact Datascan today to learn how our full-service inventory counts can support your warehouse operations.
Start simplifying your inventory management today! Connect with our expert team for a personalized Datascan consultation, easily place your order for the scanners you need, and begin counting your inventory with our ready-to-use, powerful scanners for real-time data monitoring.
