Mittelstandspresse
01.09.2026
Fixed-Date Stocktaking in Retail: COSYS Provides the Software, App and Rental Devices – You Provide the Staff
How retailers prepare the technology, counting areas and data flow while their own teams carry out the count
Warsaw, 01.09.2026 (PresseBox) - Fixed-date stocktaking is one of the most labour-intensive tasks of the year in retail. Multi-store retailers in particular need to count stock across sales floors, warehouses, back rooms and, where applicable, outdoor areas within a limited time window, without having to maintain additional technical equipment throughout the year. If sufficient in-house staff are available, the bottleneck is often not the number of people available to count, but the availability of suitable stocktaking software, preconfigured handheld mobile computers, accurate master data, clearly defined counting areas and centralised progress monitoring.
This is where a stocktaking service can support retailers by providing and preparing the technical infrastructure for the physical stock count while the retailer uses its own staff. This allows companies to scale retail stocktaking without having to purchase, configure and manage additional scanner fleets for a process that may only take place once or a few times a year.
From Stocktaking Preparation to the Final Count
A well-organised fixed-date stocktake begins long before the first scan. Item master data must be available, counting areas clearly defined and the required devices assigned to the relevant stores or teams. It is equally important to establish how counting results will be transferred, checked and made available for further processing.
With stocktaking software and a mobile Stocktaking App, employees can capture items directly at the shelf using barcodes. A handheld mobile computer acts as a mobile workstation during the stocktake: employees identify items, enter quantities, complete counting areas and transfer the data. COSYS WebDesk complements mobile stocktaking with a central management interface where count lists can be prepared, recorded data reviewed and edited, and results made available to downstream systems.
For multi-store retailers, this creates a clear workflow: prepare counting areas, assign employees and handheld devices, capture stock, monitor progress and consolidate completed inventory data centrally. This reduces the risk of areas being counted twice or accidentally omitted.
Rental Devices Prevent Hardware Shortages on the Stocktaking Day
Many retailers require significantly more handheld mobile computers for fixed-date stocktaking than they use during normal store operations. Maintaining a permanently oversized device fleet, however, is rarely economically viable. Rental stocktaking devices provide additional capacity according to the number of locations, counting teams and planned time windows.
Depending on the product range and working environment, different devices from manufacturers such as Zebra, Honeywell or Datalogic may be suitable. Scan performance is only one factor; ergonomics, battery life, durability and reliable barcode capture are equally important. If the devices are supplied preconfigured, the workload for internal IT teams and store management is also reduced.
Mobile Device Management allows apps, device settings and access rights to be managed centrally so that all mobile computers are configured consistently for the intended stocktaking process. This is particularly useful when large numbers of rental devices need to be prepared for several stores at the same time.
Central Visibility Reduces Manual Status Checks
During the physical stock count, speed only matters if completeness can be monitored at the same time. A central overview helps stocktaking managers identify which counting areas have already been completed and which tasks are still outstanding. This is particularly important for multi-store stocktaking, where several locations and teams may be working in parallel.
Data from the mobile counting process can also be analysed to highlight unusual capture patterns, delays or recurring problem areas. Instead of relying on manual status updates from individual stores, stocktaking managers can use centralised progress monitoring to identify where additional support may be required.
AI-assisted analytics can also complement the stocktaking process. Possible applications include highlighting unusual quantities, atypical process patterns or counting areas that are falling behind compared with overall progress. The practical benefit lies less in automated decision-making and more in helping stocktaking managers prioritise issues more quickly.
Combining Existing Staff with Flexible Stocktaking Infrastructure Can Reduce Costs
For retailers, the economic advantage lies primarily in making more targeted use of existing resources. In-house employees already know the product range and the layout of the store and warehouse. At the same time, externally provided stocktaking technology can reduce the need to purchase additional hardware, prepare devices internally and administer extra equipment for short-term peak requirements.
This combination is particularly relevant for retailers that want to carry out stocktaking with their own staff but require additional technical capacity for the stocktake itself. Existing employees perform the physical count, while software, mobile devices and centralised management provide the infrastructure needed to organise the process consistently.
COSYS combines modular stocktaking software, mobile data capture, WebDesk, suitable rental devices, mobile device services and Mobile Device Management. Business intelligence and process data analytics can also be used to evaluate not only inventory results but also the stocktaking process itself.
This creates an integrated setup combining the Stocktaking App, rental hardware and centralised management, while the actual counting remains with the retailer and its own employees.
Practical Tip: Plan the Counting Areas Before Ordering Rental Devices
Before deciding how many rental stocktaking devices are required, each store should be divided into realistic counting areas. Only then is it possible to determine how many employees can work in parallel and how many handheld mobile computers are actually needed.
Following this sequence helps avoid both insufficient device capacity and unnecessary spare devices. It also makes it easier to coordinate staff, counting areas and hardware before the stocktaking day and supports a smoother start to the physical inventory count.
Would you like to carry out fixed-date stocktaking with your own staff and a fully prepared technical setup?
Contact the COSYS team for individual advice on stocktaking software, the Stocktaking App, rental handheld devices and centralised progress monitoring. Schedule an appointment by emailing vertrieb@cosys.de or calling +49 5062 900 0.
Alternatively, you can test the free COSYS Stocktaking Demo App for Android and iOS.
Ansprechpartner
Vertrieb
+49 (5062) 900-0
Über Cosys Ident GmbH:
Die COSYS Ident GmbH mit Sitz in Grasdorf (bei Hildesheim) besteht seit knapp 40 Jahren und ist eines der führenden Systemhäuser im Bereich mobiler Datenerfassungslösungen für Android und Windows. Ein mittelständisches Unternehmen, das seit 1982 die Entwicklung von Identifikationssystemen vorantreibt und heute branchenspezifische Komplettlösungen für nahezu alle gängigen Geschäftsprozesse anbietet. Vom Prozessdesign und der Konzepterstellung, über die Implementierung der Hard- und Software bis hin zum Projektmanagement und maßgeschneiderten Wartungsverträgen, decken wir das komplette Leistungsspektrum der Systementwicklung, Integration und Betreuung ab. Des Weiteren bietet COSYS einen Reparaturservice, WLAN-Funkvermessung, sowie Lösungen für die Bauteil-Rückverfolgung mittels DPM-Codes.
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Stocktaking in Retail
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